Think About Taking A Tour To African safari - Serengeti National Park

If you’re planning your next vacation, and want something on the fun and wild side, you may want to think about taking an African safari to the Serengeti. Serengeti National Park is one of the most amazing wildlife parks in the world. Not only is this area of Africa beautiful it’s also full of scientific information and data that will keep you busy for many days. There are many animals that you’ll find living in this part of Africa, which include zebra, gazelle, wildebeest, and lions. The wild plains of the Serengeti will keep you mesmerized for the entirety of your safari.

Any African safari that you plan will be well worth your trip to Africa, however it’s the Serengeti that should be at the top of your list. The Serengeti National Park is over 12,950 square kilometers in size, which makes it as large as the country of Northern Ireland. The name “Serengeti” is from the Maasai language and translates to mean “the extended place”. You’ll find the Serengeti near Lake Victoria (west area) and the Great Rift Valley. This large ecosystem breathes with a life of its own and is the source of many scientific documentaries,

There are many other locations which are great for your African safari. If you travel to Southern Africa you’ll need to remember that the rainy season occurs from November until sometime in the middle of April. Since the popular time to go on an African safari is from the months of June to September you’ll have to book your trip well ahead in advance so that you are ensured of a space during that time. No matter what time of year that you travel to Africa the weather can always change in just a few minutes. You may experience a lot of rain even when you’re traveling outside of the rainy season. This is why when you travel you need to be as prepared as possible for anything that can happen.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
Read more at http://www.african-safari-guide.com

Travelers with Disabilities: The Untapped Market

When most people think about accommodating people with
disabilities in their business they get a scared feeling in
their gut and their mind scrambles to search for that
all-important date when the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) went into effect. It doesn’t have to be that way! When
business owners open their eyes and start to realize that there
are literally billions of dollars to be made in the accessible
travel market, I believe we will start to remove the fear
associated with the ADA.

There are currently more than 50 million people with
disabilities in the United States and 180 million worldwide,
representing the single largest untapped tourist market in the
world. According to a recent Harris Poll conducted in
conjunction with the Open Doors Organization and the Travel
Industry Association of America, the 50 million people with
disabilities in our country have a combined income of more than
$175 billion. In 2002, these people took 32 million trips and
spent more than $13.6 billion on travel ($4.2 billion on hotels,
$3.3 billion on airfare, $2.7 billion on food and beverage, and
$3.4 billion on retail, transportation, and other activities).
This study suggested that these travelers would double their
spending if some minor amenities were made available. Meet and
greet programs at airports, preferred seating on airplanes,
hotel rooms closer to amenities, and employees who go out of
their way to accommodate guests with disabilities topped the
list.

The current trends in adaptive travel show most of these
travelers taking advantage of destinations that they know are
already accessible such as cruise ships, Florida, and Las Vegas.
The visitors bureaus and businesses at these destinations that
have gone to great lengths to ensure their visitors that there
will not be any accessibility issues during their stay. From
personal experience and years of traveling in a wheelchair, I
can guarantee that these locations have built and will continue
to build strong relationships with travelers with disabilities.
This group is a very loyal one, who will often return to the
same city, hotel, or activity provider year after year if they
have a good experience. If everyone were to catch on to this we
would see growth in the tourism industry like we have never
seen!

With this in mind, it is a wonder that more business owners have
not taken steps to make their accommodations more accessible and
even start marketing to these travelers. If the staggering
numbers listed above aren’t proof enough, the U.S. Census Bureau
recently stated that nearly 16.5% of all people with
disabilities in the U.S. leave their home two days per week or
less. That constitutes nearly 11 million people that are not
traveling at all. Also keep in mind that there are millions of
people in their golden years that are looking for accessible
travel accommodations. Many of these people use canes or
walkers, travel with oxygen tanks, or have other mobility
impairments, and are not included in disability statistics.

With millions of people in need of accessible travel options,
and with our Baby Boomers (almost 25% of our population)
starting to reach retirement age as well now is the time to
start thinking about improving marketing efforts to include
people with disabilities and about better overall accessibility
in general. By educating business owners on the benefits of
marketing to people with disabilities and educating travel
agents who are fighting a losing battle with the internet, we
can begin to focus on this new target market.

If you want to take advantage of the rapidly growing adaptive
travel market, get started now! I recommend hiring an expert to
get your business rated and start removing barriers to access as
soon as possible. Think about accessibility anytime you’re
planning a remodel or addition. These improvements will benefit
everyone, not just people with disabilities. For those of you
who have already taken steps to improve accessibility, start
bragging about it.

Craig Kennedy is a published adaptive travel author,
accessibility consultant, and motivational speaker with almost
ten years of adaptive travel experience and more than 15 years
of tourism and service industry expertise. He specializes in
resort business growth and customer attraction through better
overall accessibility, education, and marketing, and works with
businesses who wish to become leaders in accessible travel and
accommodation.

Craig P. Kennedy, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, CK Consulting:
Setting Standards for Accessibility www.CKConsultingonline.com.
* Please visit our Web site to take a FREE accessibility quiz to
find out if you are on the right track.

Baby’s Christmas Wish - Let Me Live Another Day

Christmas the jolly festive season for good will gestures kindness and happiness is upon us once again.

December 25th the lord’s birthday is a day for family gatherings where relatives even strangers unite to celebrate his invisible presence. If Christmas were every day where the atmosphere is filled with joyous and harmonious people? What a wonderful world this would be.

Children prepare for Santa’s arrival with a thank you plate of biscuits and a glass of milk. The bigger kid’s like mum/dad intend to over excite themselves too watching the kids unwrap their presents. Then we have the belly bursting feast of turkey with all the trimmings followed by apple pie and custard. But sadly to say all the joys that Christmas brings is not bestowed on every one.

Unfortunately some children celebrate Christmas from a hospital bed due to saddening events which may have taken place where instead of receiving a kiss and a cuddle on Christmas day they received a merciless beating. No joyous moments for babies on a mortuary slab.

Innocent of any crime the weakest links will suffer more pain under the hands of their abusers. This ongoing torture for toddlers/wife’s partners etc is escalating out of control causing an epidemic of sadism which has to stop. To many merciless beatings have caused death to a victim all because the abuser needs his/her daily fix of fulfilment where they celebrate Christmas with blood on their hands and a smile.

Help is out there for those looking for the reason behind why they cause so much sorrow and pain on their defenceless loved ones. Talk to someone and by doing this you have taken the first step in your quest to make every Christmas from now on happy ones.

Then we have the inhabitants of famine stricken countries suffering from starvation seeking to survive on flour and milk alone. Our flour comes in the shape of a loaf, our milk churned into butter/cheese.

Before keeping up with tradition where you get to stuff your self with roast parsnips and turkey be sure to say grace and to take in the meaning of every word. “Bless us O Lord for what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen”

Far from our thoughts are the less fortunate so remember to say a prayer. And for the innocent victim of abuse who’s cry for help go unheard. I ask you as a friend or neighbour to be extra vigilant of any situation that may give you reason for concern for a child’s safety.

By doing this you may be giving that child the best Christmas gift ever and that is to live for another day.

Online education wrapped up in the form of a computer for a child at christmas will be the best gift ever.Teach your kids to teach themselves. Browse
this amazing site with proven results http://www.allaboutonlineeducation.com

Sticking to a Gift Budget at Christmastime

The Christmas season is upon us, and with it one of the most difficult times to stick on a budget. It’s so easy to go overboard on gifts for those you love. There’s always some cute, cheap item that is just perfect, but when you find things like that over and over, they really add up.

It’s no fun being on a tight budget at this time of year. You wish you could give your kids the gifts they want the most, and give other family members just the right gift too.

There are several ways to give well thought out gifts at this time of year without overdoing it on credit cards or adding to your financial worries. All it takes is a little planning and creativity. Here are a few ideas.

Draw names.
You’ll still have to do the shopping for your kids, of course, but getting together with your siblings or other family members and drawing names can save a lot of money, as well as shopping time. This also allows a single, nicer gift to be given, as you can agree beforehand what should be spent on each person, and have it be a gift from all of you.

Give your time.
Make up coupons with favors you will do for the other person. This could be mowing the lawn for your parents or giving your husband a backrub. It could be babysitting a friend’s kids.

Share your talents.
If there’s something you do well that others have been expressing an interest in learning, give them a card saying you will teach them. This could be music lessons or it could be website design or organizing their home.

Note cards and stamped envelopes.
These are perfect for the person who loves to write. Find an attractive set and get some stamps, and you’re ready to go. You could even take this a step further and create your own design on plain cards.

Family calendar.
This one takes a fair bit of time, and you’ll need other family members to send you pictures, but makes a great gift. If they give you prints, you can make a collage, but if the photos are digital you can manipulate them for a wonderfully fun family calendar. Take the results to your local print shop and have them make them into calendars.

Make picture frames.
Get a cheap picture frame and decorate it with things that the recipient enjoys.

Bake!
Homemade treats are often welcome. If you have a great pie, cake or cookie recipe, you can be sure people will thank you even if they grumble something about calories.

Make Christmas ornaments.
There are all kinds of ideas for beautiful Christmas ornaments. You can buy the cheap clear glass balls and fill them or paint them. Another idea is to take a clear jar or vase, and put in some Christmas lights, then add potpourri. It looks beautiful when plugged in and smells great.

Make gift baskets or jars.
This doesn’t have to mean cheesy, handmade stuff that you really don’t do normally. You can make gift baskets with special items inside, such as bath salts and other items good for relaxation. You can print a card with a special recipe and include the ingredients in a jar.
The possibilities here are just about endless, both in terms of affordability and creativity. Think about the recipient’s hobbies and put something together that relates; garden gloves with a plant or seeds for a gardener, gourmet coffee with a cup for the coffee lover, and so forth.

You don’t have to go overboard with gifts to have a wonderful Christmas. A little planning goes a long way toward easing the financial strain that so many feel at this time of year. Getting creative with Christmas presents doesn’t only save money - it makes the gifts more meaningful!

Stephanie Foster is the owner of HomeWithTheKids.com, a resource for at-home parents. For more tips on living on a budget, please visit www.homewiththekids.com/moneymatters.htm and subscribe to the free newsletter.