Turkey

Turkey has a diverse climate but in the summer the temperature can rise to a scorching 40 degrees Celsius. That’s beach weather by anyone’s standards. It’s got plenty of beaches to choose from, but among the best are Patara on the Turquoise Coast, Icmeler and Olu Deniz. And let’s not forget the beaches in Antalya. Fun fact: this is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited areas and it includes the city of Troy made famous in Greek mythology.

Spain

Spain has a lot to offer, beach-wise, whether you’re attracted by wall to wall people at Fuengirola or the expansive beauty of Canary Islands beaches such as Playa Las Teresitas in Tenerife and Playa del Ingles in Gran Canaria. Benidorm and Lanzarote’s Puerto del Carmen are also worth a trip. TripAdvisor’s recommendation is Port d’Alcudia in Spain which has beautiful white sand and some nearby Roman ruins to visit. Fun fact: Mount Teide in Tenerife has the world’s third largest volcano.

UK

You don’t expect to see the UK on a list of best European beach locations, but it seems that Bournemouth beach has made the cut. TripAdvisor users put this beach at number 4 on the list of Europe’s ten best beaches. It’s got an  artificial reef and a very nice strip of sand, as well as the traditional pier. Fun fact: In 2007 Bournemouth was named the happiest place in the UK.

Portugal

A trip to the Algarve is a highlight of many European holidays, with travelers enjoying the cliffs, sandstone and beautiful, dramatic scenery. Good beach picks include Sagres and the beaches of Albufeira. Fun fact: Portugal had the world’s first global empire which lasted from 1415 to 1999.

Planning a trip during the summer? Check out Park Ride Fly USA’s latest discount airport parking coupon for big savings on off airport parking.

1. Preparing for emergencies is a good idea – and that’s what insurance is all about. Unless you have a crystal ball, and are absolutely sure nothing will go wrong on your trip, then it’s probably a good idea. Suppose something happens in your family and you have to change your plans? Trip insurance can insure you against the financial penalty you would normally incur for altering travel arrangements at the last minute.

2. Health issues can strike at any time. Even if you’re perfectly healthy when you start the trip, you or your loved ones could end up having to be rushed to hospital or flown home. This can be expensive and is unlikely to be covered by your domestic policy. A travel insurance policy with medical cover is a good fail safe.

3. Although you don’t own your rental car, you’re responsible if something goes wrong with it. Dents, scratches and other damage – the kind people do in car parks and then quietly drive away from – will all cost you. Taking insurance about this incidental damage will help your wallet in the long run.

4. While you may have an existing policy, can you be sure it will cover you against every eventuality? What about trip interruptions or cancellations and theft of or damage to your belongings? Read the fine print carefully to see if you need additional cover.

5. One thing you can’t predict is the weather, though goodness knows the weather forecasters make a valiant effort. However, even they get it wrong much of the time. Bad weather can cause delays and cancellations and can even completely ruin your holiday. If you’re taking a winter break and there’s no snow or a summer break where there are rain and storms, it might be better to defer your holiday. Having the right insurance policy means you won’t lose your money.

6. In the last few years, we’ve got used to hearing about companies going bankrupt or folding overnight. If this happens to your travel company, where does that leave you? If you don’t want to be up the creek, then a travel insurance policy gives you some financial protection.

As you can see, buying travel insurance can be a no-brainer under these circumstances. So think about this carefully when you book your next trip.

Planning a trip during the summer? Check out Park Ride Fly USA’s latest discount airport parking coupon for big savings on off airport parking.

Image: brewbooks/ Flickr

Check Out Your Options

One of the first things to do is research your diet options and one of the best places to get the help you need is via Twitter, Facebook or another social media site. If you want to know the best places to get gluten free food in San Francisco someone is bound to know – and most people are willing to help. Do a wider web search to see what food options are available when you arrive at your destination or at the airport before you travel. Most places are pretty good about signalling when a meal contains something you may react to.

Flying Long Haul

On a domestic flight, you probably won’t get any food and can purchase or take something suitable with you. On long-haul, though, you might not have a choice. Luckily, most airlines cater for all kinds of diets, offering kosher food, halal food, food for diabetic diets and vegetarian and vegan options. You’re pretty sure to find something you can eat among those options.

Making Your Wishes Known

Traveling to a place where you don’t speak the language. Then it’s back to the web to find out the words you need to indicate the diet you are on or the foods you need to avoid. I can tell people I don’t eat meat or ask if a particular dish contains meat in four language – and counting. And just in case you don’t get the information you require, prepare a little card with the phrase for ‘I’m allergic to [name of food] in the target language.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to keep some snacks on hand in case your flight is delayed or even cancelled. At least then you won’t have to worry about keeping your energy levels up while you wait!

Planning a trip during the summer? Check out Park Ride Fly USA’s latest discount airport parking coupon for big savings on off airport parking.

Image: globalcosmic/Flickr

1. Although it may seem like Mother’s Day has been around forever, that’s not the case. In fact, it’s been an official observance for just 98 years. Congress designated Mother’s Day as the second Sunday in May in 1914 at the request of Anna Jarvis, who first held similar observances in Philadelphia and West Virginia in 1908.

2. Even though it was her idea to mark the day, Anna Jarvis wanted it to be a day of prayer and reflection on the role of mothers. She was appalled at the commercialization of the day and actually went to court to try to prevent it – a battle she lost!

3. Mother’s Day is not celebrated on the same day throughout the world. In the UK, Mothering Sunday has been celebrated since the 16th century on the 4th Sunday in Lent. In other parts of the world, celebrations of motherhood can take place in other months, with some taking place in fall or winter.

4. Carnations are a popular symbol of Mother’s Day. The tradition is to honor mothers who are living with colored flowers, and those who are deceased with white ones. Most of the flowers given for Mother’s Day come from California.

5. The world’s most prolific mother was a Russian lady, Mrs. Vassilyev, who had 69 children in 27 pregnancies. She had no single births, but multiple sets of twins, triplets and quadruplets. And it seems 67 of those kids survived past infancy.

6. When it comes to Mother’s Day, kids are the last of the big spenders, and it’s the second biggest spending occasion on the US holiday list. The average spend on gifts last year was $127. Popular gifts include cards, flowers, gift certificates and meals out.

7. Even those who don’t travel home for Mother’s Day mark the occasion with a phone call – more than 122 million of them in 2011.

8. Anna Jarvis once bemoaned that Mother’s Day had become a “Hallmark occasion”. Perhaps she was right – half of us give cards on Mother’s Day, which means around 152 million cards.

9. M is for mother in most of the world’s languages.

10. It is estimated that there are 84.5m mothers in the US and 55% of moms work. In 2011, there were 10 million single moms and 5 million stay at home moms.

Image: Micah Elizabeth Scott/Flickr

Rodeo Beach, Marin County, CA

Fun fact: Rodeo Beach is made up of unusual red and green chert grains.

Image: Franco Folini/Flickr

Newport Beach, CA

Fun fact: People have been visiting Newport Beach for more than 100 years, since 1905.

Image: Aitor Aguirregabiria/Flickr

Daytona Beach, FL

Fun Fact: Daytona Beach has been a key spring break destination for decades.

Image: Like_the_Grand_Canyon/Flickr

Santa Monica Beach, CA

Fun Fact: Baywatch was filmed at Santa Monica beach.

Image: dvpfagan/Flickr

Long Beach, NY

Fun Fact: One of the publicity stunts used to launch Long Beach at the start of the 20th century was marching a herd of elephants along the boardwalk.

Image: moonman82/Flickr

Did we leave your favorite beach off this list? Feel free to tell us why you love it in the comments. Check back next week for some of Europe’s best beaches.

Travel Events

1502- Christopher Columbus left Spain to begin his 4th and final trip to the New World.

1836 – Charles Darwin left Mauritius on the HMS Beagle.

1874 – the first horse drawn bus debuted in Mumbai, India. It had two routes.

1870 – London’s Victoria Embankment opened.

1882- The Telegraph Hill Railroad Company was formed.

1896 – London’s first auto (horseless carriage) show took place with 10 models.

Sitting in a "horseless carriage" at the first New York Auto Show in 1900.

1904 – The City of Truro steam locomotive set a record by becoming the first steam engine to go above 100mph

1926 – Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett made the first plane flight over the North Pole. However, many later claimed that they missed it.

2010 – A volcanic ash cloud in Iceland caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Other Events

1901 – Australia’s first Parliament opened in Melbourne.

1914 – President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that the second Sunday in May would be Mother’s Day

1955 – West Germany joined NATO.

1960 – the US becomes the first country in the world to approve the use of the birth control pill

1974 – Hearings about considering impeachment for President Nixon began.

1994 – Nelson Mandela was chosen as South Africa’s first black president.

Mother’s Day Travel Deals

For a start, now’s a good time to look for last minute deals. Airlines with unsold seats for travel this weekend may offer a flight sale. That’s a great way to fly home without breaking the bank. If you’re stuck for Mother’s Day gift ideas, why not take advantage of the seat sale and take your mom somewhere really special for the weekend?

So that’s the flight taken care of – what about somewhere to stay? If you’re flying home, your old room is probably still available. But if you’re looking to make it a special weekend with mom then there are other deals on offer too. Since the start of May, some hotels have been offering special deals too, which takes care of accommodation for your trip. Check out your favorite travel sites on Facebook and Twitter to see what’s on offer.

Discount Airport Parking

You can also make savings on airport parking before your trip. Look out for special deals and discount parking coupons to cut the cost of this part of your trip. (You don’t have to look that far, either; we’ve got a sweet parking deal running this month with a CINCO coupon code).

Got any reward cards? Use these for additional savings on every aspect of travel – and see whether you can redeem any of them for a beautiful Mother’s Day gift.

Lighten the Travel Load

Another way to save is to travel light so you don’t incur baggage fees. If you’re staying at home, you’ve probably got some old clothes knocking around, so all you need are the basics plus something fancy for going out on the day itself. That means you can travel with a carryon, making your travel experience relatively hassle-free.

What are your plans for Mother’s Day? Look out for some fun facts about the day later this week.

Image: Bill McChesney/Flickr

Interestingly, it seems the pun didn’t originate with Star Wars fans, but with the election of Margaret Thatcher as UK prime minister on May 4th, 1979. An ad from her political party celebrating the event read: “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.”

That’s all the excuse committed Star Wars fans have needed to make this into an unofficial holiday where they watch the films, dress up (with light sabers, of course) and use the catchphrase wherever they can. In Toronto, there’s the second annual celebration of Intergalactic Star Wars Day at the Toronto Underground Cinema. As well as film screenings, there’s a costume contest, a game show and lots of Star Wars themed swag from major manufacturers.

Will you be celebrating Star Wars Day? If you are, hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of fun Star Wars related pictures.

1. Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the fifth of May) is a Mexican national holiday which commemorates the Battle of Puebla where the Mexicans triumphed against France in 1862.
2. The battle shows the triumph of the underdog as 4,000 Mexican soldiers fended off 6,500 French soldiers. The victory was mainly a morale booster; it took another 6 years to rout the French altogether.
3. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16.
4. The celebration is biggest in Puebla but is also widely celebrated in the US. Some believe that’s because of people in former territories of Mexico continue to celebrate it. The celebrations continue to spread, with more than 150 celebrations noted in a 2006 study.



5. In Puebla wearing Western costume is part of the celebration.
6. Many use the day to celebrate the Mexican way of life. Typical celebrations include festivals, parades, dancing, mariachi bands and Mexican food and beer.
7. In Chandler, Arizona, the day’s celebrations include Chihuahua dog races and the crowning of a Chihuahua king and queen.
8. The first Cinco de Mayo celebration in the US took place in Southern California in 1863.
9. The biggest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world takes place in Los Angeles. It’s called Fiesta Broadway and is a huge street party attended by around 500,000 people.
10. Cinco de Mayo is also marked outside Mexico and the US in places including Vancouver, Canada, the Caribbean, Malta and Brisbane, Australia.

Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo ? What’s your best memory of the celebrations?

If you’re traveling this weekend, then use our CINCO coupon code to get discount airport parking.

Phoenix Sky Harbor airport celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010, dating its history to the purchase of an existing airport by Phoenix city in 1935 (which happens to be the same year that the Monopoly board game was released). An interesting fact about the airport is that it was once popular with couples wanting to make a quick marriage. It had a chapel next door (near where the Left Seat Restaurant is now) and there was no three day waiting period in Arizona.

PHX Airport Parking and Services

PHX airport has a number of passenger services available, including children’s play areas, pet parks and more. The airport dubs itself ‘America’s friendliest airport’. It prides itself on excellent customer service and has won multiple awards. Check out the Navigator volunteers, dressed in purple, if you’re at the airport and need help with anything. If you’re traveling from Phoenix airport, our Phoenix airport parking services complement those on offer at the airport and provide a hassle-free experience. They are available from QuikPark Airport Valet, Fasttrack Airport Parking and SkyHarbor Airport Parking.

Things to Do Near Phoenix Airport

If you’re flying via Phoenix, then there’s lots to do on your trip. The airport is only a few miles from the city so you can pack a lot in even if you just have a layover.

• Phoenix Zoo is not far away and since it’s been voted one of the top five zoos for kids in America, it’s worth a trip if you’re traveling with the family.
• Deserts are full of life and there’s no better way to see this in action than in the Desert Botanical Garden.
• Papago Park, which includes the two attractions listed above, is a great place to sit and relax or get more active and try out archery or golf.
• Want to explore musical history? The Musical Instrument Museum is the place to go for tens of thousands of instruments from around the world – and there’s a music theater too!
• Overnighting in Phoenix? Then check out the Carnival of Illusion show for a mixture of magic, mystery and vaudeville

Image credit: Tim Patterson