Travel to Sweden

Sweden is a land of incredible cultural contrast. While urban Sweden is stylish, modern and sophisticated, the countryside offers many simpler pleasures for those in search of tranquillity.

Sweden's scenery generally has a gentler charm than that of neighbouring Norway's rugged coastline and mountains. Much of Sweden is forested, and there are thousands of lakes, notably large stretches of water between Gothenburg and the capital, Stockholm.

The lakeside resort of Östersund, in the centre of Sweden, is popular with Scandinavians, but most visitors opt first for the cities and the Baltic islands: the largest island, Gotland, with its array of ruined medieval churches, is a particular highlight. Another major attraction is the so-called 'Kingdom of Crystal', a forested area between Malmö and Stockholm boasting many fine glassworks.

The land and its people have an air of reserved calm, and while perhaps best known for its automotive and musical exports - Volvo and Abba are household names - a strong historical undertone bubbles close beneath the surface. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Stockholm, where dozens of museums, and attractive medieval and baroque edifices housing boutiques and cafés overlook the attractive harbour.

The midnight sun, the snowbound winters, meatballs, herring, Vikings and Volvos, ABBA and the Hives - whatever your pre-existing notions about Sweden may be, a visit to this multifaceted country is bound to both confirm and confound them. Though you’re unlikely to be greeted at the shore by throngs of mead-swilling berserkers in longships, evidence of the Vikings and their pillaging days is easy to find. A stroll through the Swedish countryside will often lead to a picnic on some ancient king’s burial mound. Cycling routes frequently pass through fields crowned with ship-shaped stone graves. In cities and alongside roadways, rune stones staunchly declare the historical equivalent of ‘Ingmar was here’. But Sweden’s days as a warlike nation are long gone. Instead, its domestic and international policies serve as models of neutrality and consensus-building. This is, after all, the birthplace of the Nobel Peace Prize. Travellers today are more likely to be slayed by visions of pastoral beauty - intense green countryside, impenetrable forests, little red cottages atop remote islands and, everywhere, Sweden’s famously clear blue water.

That’s not to say all the excitement ended thousands of years ago - far from it. While tradition reigns in places like Dalarna in the Swedish heartland and the Sami territory up north, much of Sweden today buzzes with a more contemporary energy. A wave of immigration in recent years has added spark and variety to the cultural milieu. Urban centres like Stockholm, Göteborg (otherwise known as Gothenburg) and Malmö consistently churn out cultural artefacts for an international audience (think IKEA, H&M, Absolut Vodka). The Island of Gotland, lying roughly equidistant between Sweden and Latvia, is Sweden's most richly historical area but also has a hip party vibe. Travellers come to Sweden as much for the flash clubs and ground-breaking new restaurants as they do for wilderness hikes and visits to wooden-horse factories.

Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com; http://wikitravel.org

Travel to Jamaica

When considering a Caribbean vacation, Jamaica will undoubtedly be one of the choices to consider. Jamaica Vacations offer the tourist all a tropical vacation is meant to be. Coconut palm trees swaying in the warm tropical breezes, Bob Marley tunes always playing in in the background, diving the coral reefs full of colorful tropical fish, eating jerk chicken and sipping a cold red stripe (Jamaica’s world famous beer) bought from a rasta cooking out of a grill made out of a 55 galon drum. If you are a golfer, in Jamaica,, golf courses abound and although the prices tend to be in the $100 dollar range, it’s worth it. The courses are manicured to perfection and the greens are lightning fast. As the song goes, “Come to Jamaica and feel all right”

Our national anthem speaks of “the land we love.” We do, and we love to share it. Our island in the sun is a place of spectacular natural beauty from mighty waterfalls cascading off jungle mountaintops, to tropical rain forests filled with exotic birds and plants, to our extraordinary beaches with their fabulous resorts. Jamaica is a vacation Mecca for the world. We are a land of friendly loving people. We are a place that delights the senses and sooths the soul. Our endless beaches and crystal-clear water say, “Feel me.” Our rich Caribbean-cuisine and seafood say, “Taste me.” Our steel drums and reggae music say, “Hear me, dance with me.”

The moment you arrive your heart will be begin to beat to the slow-paced, go with the flow Jamaican rhythm. There is so much to see and do here and we want to help you see and feel it all. Let us show you how to discover the exceptional travel values and all inclusive resort vacations that will make your time in paradise perfect. Let us share the land we love because we know you will love it too.

Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com; http://wikitravel.org

Travel to Australia

Australia is a land of contrasts - topographical, cultural, physical, meterological and visual. About 40,000 years ago, the Aborigines were the first to settle. They lived as hunters and gatherers for this entire time, living with a close link to nature, although backburning and other poor agricultural techniques have since been realised to have caused significant deforestation, salinification of the soil and elimination of much of the natural diversity of the landscape. Such a poor ability to interact with nature, despite it being so important, helps explain why much of Australia is now unsuitable for sustaining life. Interestingly, this provides one of the few examples of where the native population damaged the land more than later waves of settlers. Their way of living developed into a complex culture based on oral tradition and intricate social bounds, which was almost destroyed by the second wave of settlers, who were able to populate the land with much more success.

Australia is a nation in its own right, it is also a technically a continent, with large differences between regions. It has a reputation as a land of leisure, with sun, sea and an enviable 'Crocodile Dundee' outdoor lifestyle, but this is just a very narrow conception of a continent. The reality however, is that most people work all day, and then spend the weekend running around trying to pack life into the 2 days on the weekend. Only the homeless and tourists have time to sit around on the beach, or laze away days watching sport on TV.

Australia is a nation in its own right, it is also a technically a continent, with large differences between regions. It has a reputation as a land of leisure, with sun, sea and an enviable 'Crocodile Dundee' outdoor lifestyle, but this is just a very narrow conception of a continent. The reality however, is that most people work all day, and then spend the weekend running around trying to pack life into the 2 days on the weekend, albeit around the NRL ladder. Only the homeless and tourists have time to sit around on the beach, or laze away days watching sport on TV.

One of the states is the island state Tasmania of which one fifth is World Heritage area. Each state has its own national parks with their specific character where you can indulge in bush-walking or maybe even rock-climbing. When you’re interested in the miracles of water-world, you can’t miss out on the Great Barrier Reef on the east coast, the main reason for many travellers to visit Cairns. The Wet Tropics of Queensland comprise dense rainforests and foaming waterfalls. Rare species of animals can be spotted in the famous Kakadu National Park as well as ancient aboriginal art. These old drawings can also be seen in the Namadgi National Park.

Good places to set off for exploration of the great outdoors are big cities such as Canberra, Darwin, Adelaide and Perth, that all have interesting sights and a good cultural atmosphere as well. Of course, Australia is surrounded by sea, so good swimming and surfing beaches are more rule than exception, generally these beaches will be full of only tourists, especially during the week. So fun can be had watching people who haven't heard of sunscreen yet turning into lobsters, or getting trapped in the surf. North of Brisbane, is the Sunshine Coast one of the many stretches of coast where you can find excellent beaches, South of Brisbane is the better known Gold Coast, famous for being home to Australias equivalent of trailer park people and teenagers who can't afford a holiday somewhere better. Don’t forget the smaller historically interesting Alice Springs, or William Creek [the most isolated town in Australia] that will lead you right to the famous Ayers Rock.

Deserts, rainforests, big cities….and just when you thought you’d caught a glimpse of the versatile character of this fascinating continent, you forgotten about Melbourne and the excellent skiing opportunities in the Alpine National Park. Another good option is the Snowy Mountains area in NSW. How many months could you stay?
Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com; http://wikitravel.org