Travel in the United States and to other parts of the world is growing by leaps and bounds. It’s easier than ever to travel by plane, cruise ship, bus, or car, and many people are taking advantage of modern-day travel conveniences.

Unfortunately, this $8.5 trillion industry is not without fault. Fuel costs and other factors have taken a toll on travel prices, but can actually benefit your business. If you’re already in the travel business or thinking of starting a travel venture, now may be the best time ever to cash in on what seems to be a disadvantage to many travelers. Since everyone loves travel (even when it is expensive), you can create unlimited cash while helping others take their dream vacation for fewer dollars.

Unlimited Travel Opportunities

If you’ve always loved to travel and want to help others plan their vacations, there are unlimited travel opportunities to help you start a travel business. With a travel business, you not only create unlimited cash for your own income, but you can also plan unlimited vacations of your own with a tremendous discount. Then, you can use your own travel experiences to help others find the perfect vacation. You can also offer the discounts to your family and friends.

With some travel business models, you can sign on to be a travel representative (not an agent) and offer the travel packages at a discount with huge commissions paid out directly to you. And the real advantage of these types of opportunities is you can usually sign others up to sell travel packages as well. You will receive instant profits when they sign on as well as when they sell vacation packages to others. It’s a great way to travel to exotic places while earning unlimited cash through your very own travel business.

How to Sell Travel Packages

There are a number of ways to realize your dreams with a travel business. You can use the Web, magazines, or classifieds to target niche markets in the travel industry. For example, target people who want to visit a certain country or city. You can target families or honeymooners. You can target business travelers. With a website, you can add unlimited travel articles to your website to attract readers who are interested in visiting certain places around the world. You can also create a travel newsletter or e-zine to capture the e-mails of your site visitors. The travel industry is broad, so the more targeted your marketing efforts, the faster your business will grow.

How to Offer the Opportunity to Others

You’d be surprised at how many people would love to start a travel business, but don’t know how or where to start. Once you gain some experience in your travel business, you’ll be able to offer tips and helpful resources for others who want to do the same. Also, don’t ignore those who are seeking “any” business opportunity. Many people want to work from home, but aren’t sure what type of business to try. You can educate them about starting a travel business, and build their confidence to try it out. Be a motivator and a helper, and you’ll soon see tremendous results!

Each time you travel, write down key points and attractions of the places you visit. Offer articles about first-hand travel experiences on your website along with photos. Detail how much the total trip cost (with your company’s discount) and the fun things you did while there. Putting together travel editorials such as these can become your own personal testimonial to those who are considering the opportunity.

When you sign on for a travel business opportunity, be sure to consider the amount of commission being offered, how much you will need to invest to get started, and how easy it will be to promote the business. Can you promote the business online? Does the company provide a website for you? Can you add content and photos to your website for your own marketing efforts? Does the company offer unlimited vacations at discounted prices? These are key factors in earning unlimited cash while doing something you enjoy!

For the more adventurous and nature lovers, Canada offers some of the best vacationing areas in the world. Winters are wonderful in Canada; with snow clad mountains and skiing “highways”. Adventure and relaxation in cities, parks and mountains of Canada can be an everlasting memory, if planned and budgeted properly.

Most favored vacationing spots in Canada are the British Columbia, Victoria, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Islands. The majestic coastal mountains of British Columbia house some of the North America’s largest ski resorts, Blackcomb and Whistler Mountain. These towering mountains heighten to about a mile from the valley and are strewn with skiing trails for all levels. They have about 200 trails covering more than 7,000 acres of treacherous mountain terrain.

These skiing trails are often rated high when compared to popular, expensive and always over booked resorts like Colorado, Vail and Aspen. This is due to the magnificent ski slopes and a host of pedestrian-only villages that have multiple shops, restaurants and a variety of nightlife. The best part of the Whistler Resort is its social and community atmosphere. Added to this the value of US dollar in Canada contributes to the attraction of skiers from across the globe.

Glacier National Park is another of the major tourist and vacationing attraction. Known for its breath-taking views of waterfalls, lakes and high mountains and covering about a million acres, this Crown of the Continent” is very sparsely populated compared to the Yellowstone or Yosemite national parks in the USA. This house of the grizzly is all the more attractive because of the wildlife which is another major attraction for vacationers is Canada. The wildlife spotting in Canada can be exhilarating when one spots a wolf, mountain lion or a Rocky Mountain sheep.

Planning your vacation in Canada can be very easy and low budget considering a host of vacation rentals and private accommodation available across the most sought after tourist destinations.

Many vacation rentals offer a choice of vacation homes, condos, villas, and cabins to meet various needs and tastes of the vacationers. Many of these vacation rentals are also well staffed. Out for offering are pet friendly rentals, vacation rentals on the beach or close to the water, child friendly vacation rentals, vacation homes on a golf course or close to one, ski vacation rentals on the mountain or located close to the chairlift.

Cottages are a preferred mode of vacation rentals in Canada. Many people dive to cottages for the hammock-swaying snoozes, exceptional natural air quality and outdoor pursuits. The distance from millions in a crowded city is to soothe ones nerves in natural surroundings of most of Canadas known tourist attractions have made them the favorite of vacationers.
Renting a vacation home or cottage is easy, pay the rent for as many weeks as you need. You can rent direct form the owner or through various rental agents strewn all over the place. Choices are easy to make using the book or a brochure available with most agents. The only disadvantage compared to a hotel is that you may end up doing most of the housework, if the vacation home or the private accommodation is not staffed.
The cost of renting or leasing a vacation home or private accommodation is very nominal compared to the cost of hotels. Many owners have turned towards part time renting their properties due to rising cost of real estate and cost of living.
The private accommodation and vacation home renting can bring down your costs of vacationing in the skiing paradise down drastically, allowing you to budget more for your shopping or adventure needs, or even to extend your holiday a little more.

On my recent trip to Cambodia I was blessed to spend three days exploring the ruins collectively known as Angkor Wat. We experienced sunrise and sunset, as well as the noonday heat, in this magnificent complex of temples, many built more than 900 years ago.

Relics of Past Splendor

These shrines were created with stones carried from far away; many were built without mortar, and all were built without modern technology. Yet the structures have withstood the ravages not only of time and weather, but also of mankind. Over the centuries temple figures sacred to one religion (Buddhism) have been removed or destroyed by followers of another religion (Hinduism), only to be replaced by the original worshipers (Buddhists). Just as destructive were souvenir hunters who have taken pieces from the carvings and sold them to collectors and museums. Lastly, bullet holes and bomb damage mar many of the temple walls a legacy of the Khmer Rouge.

Like the pyramids in Egypt and the Mayan ruins in Central America, Angkor Wat is the relic of an ancient civilization that was far advanced for its time. Today many of the Angkor Wat temples are still in daily use. I saw monks and worshipers kneeling in the temples, burning incense and praying. Truly a profound experience.

Emblems of Today’s Squalor

In contrast, on my last evening in Cambodia, I took a boat ride through Chong Khneas, a floating fishing village. This loose collection of more than 700 families of fishermen and a complete support community live on boats and travel Tonl Sap Lake following the fish and the rainy season.
To reach the floating village we drove through the town of Siem Reap and several smaller villages. The further from Siem Reap we traveled, the more primitive living conditions became. Homes went from cinder-block and concrete structures to wooden houses to one-room bamboo shacks supported on spindly bamboo poles to protect them from flooding. I would have been afraid to roll over in my sleep in these houses, much less raise a family or ride out a monsoon in one. Electricity was nonexistent, and the only running water was the stream we were following to the lake. The only nod to the 21st century was televisions, running on car batteries and prominently displayed in the glassless windows.

The floating village consisted of hundreds of boats, some no bigger than 20 feet by 6 feet. Entire families lived on each boat. Cages suspended underneath the boat served as impromptu fish farms. The back of the boat held a primitive outhouse. Children bathed in the lake while old women cleaned fish or cooked noodles in water dipped from the same source. The lake served not only a source of food and of cooking and drinking water, but as a bathtub and septic system as well. Here the ubiquitous televisions, and the outboard motors used to power the fishing boats onto the lake each evening, were the only lifestyle changes in the last 200 years.

The floating village and the bamboo shacks were light years below the standard of living enjoyed by the Cambodians who designed and lived in the temple complex at Angor Wat 900 years ago. All of those past splendors seem lost today.

The Lessons of Forgetfulness

What caused such an advanced civilization to revert to a shadow of its former self? And what lesson can we learn from this study in contrasts? To paraphrase George Santayana’s famous line, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to forget it.” Somehow the people of that floating village have forgotten the grandeur of Cambodia’s past. They have lost touch with the creativity and spirit that made Angkor Wat possible. Instead of moving forward, they either stayed the same or moved backwards and perhaps that amounts to the same thing. Once we cease to learn, build, create and stretch, we not only stop gaining or growing, we allow the rest of the world to pass us by. This is the equivalent of moving backwards.

We must ask ourselves each day, “Am I moving forward or simply standing still?” In our lives and at our work we all know people who refuse to change with the times. To our computer-savvy children watching us struggle to retrieve our email, we may look like slow-moving dinosaurs. We cannot afford the luxury of standing still. To do so allows the world to move past us. More importantly from a business standpoint, it allows our competition to move easily past us.

Do you risk becoming a relic of the past or a dinosaur whose fate is extinction? If you have any amount of doubt coursing through your veins, commit today to education, growth and constant improvement, both personal and professional. And know that if up until now you’ve been a bit lax, you’re never too old or too young to make this commitment to yourself. The lesson I learned in Cambodia is that I want to be the one who builds monuments for the future not the one who wonders how the monuments of the past were built.

The vast majority of Contract Cleaning Companies are small one-man band outfits that provide basic cleaning to a limited number of clients within a relatively restricted area. This is fine unless you want to make real money and continue growing and expanding. If you restrict yourself to a small locality and operate alone then you have a limited number of potential customers. If you want to be out the front of the competition and challenging the big players in the cleaning business then you must be prepared to widen your horizons.

Much of your competition will be these small cleaning companies who because they have limited overheads will be able to undercut you. However by careful marketing you can put yourself ahead of these and get yourself recognised before them. How to market yourself successfully has been covered in previous articles. Having beaten off the competition by your carefully planned marketing strategy you will still restrict your growth potential if you do not widen your area of coverage.

A planned well managed expansion is difficult to achieve within the cleaning business. Once you start to advertise your services outside of your immediate area you have no idea what the response will be and the golden rule is to never turn down work because that potential customer will never ever return to you if you do turn them away. Consequently you must accept most of the work that comes in and worry about how you might manage it once you have got it.

In the initial period of expansion out of your area there will obviously be a great deal of travelling and extra work and you will imagine that there are just not enough hours in the day to cope with all the work you have taken on. If you are determined to achieve then you will and once you have a few contracts established in another locality you can always employ others to look after them. It is only that initial hurdle that you must overcome. Having done it in one or two places you can then continue to expand as far as your vision will take you. This is the one big problem with franchising because as a franchisee you cannot expand outside of your designated area so you will always be restricted. Think big, act big and you will make big things happen. Think small, be restrictive and small things will happen and you will never escape from this smallness.

Breckenridge Ski Resort Will Build A New Gondola Ski Lift

After twenty years of wishful thinking, Breckenridge will finally move forward and build the Gondola in Spring of 2006. This project should be completed by Christmas of 2006. The Breckenridge Gondola will fit up to 8 people and will load right in the free skier parking lots. The path of the Gondola will travel through the Shock Hill neighborhood and on to both Peak 7 and Peak 8 base areas.

The Gondola Project is part of a much larger plan that started last year when they built the Imperial Express ski lift and extended a skiing trail directly to the free skier parking lots. Next on the list will be an expansion of the Peak 7 base area to include a restaurant and other facilities.

The town of Breckenridge also plans on diverting traffic off of Main St. with a hope to preserve the old town main street look and feel. There is a lot going on in Breckenridge right now and next year at this time, you will see a complete transformation.

The new Breckenridge Gondola will have a capacity of 3,000 riders per hour, 143 cabins, 7,843 ft. in length, 25 towers, 2 mid stations at Shock Hill and Peak 7 base area, 7.5 minute ride from the transit center to Peak 8 terminal.

We can’t wait to see you out here!
Enjoy your ski vacation in Breckenridge, CO.

Booking Your Las Vegas Reservations
Las Vegas reservations are easy to book on the web. Youll have no problem finding the location that you want when you use the web to help you. But, there are some things that youll need to do in order to get the best of the best in options. Is there a better time to visit Las Vegas? Reservations are available and they are some of the hottest ones going!

What do you need to do to book your Las Vegas Reservations? Here are some hints and tips that you need to consider.

First of all, consider the budget that you have. If you have a budget to work off of, youll find options easier to compare.
What are you looking for? Youll need a hotel and show tickets, but will you also need to book reservations for airline tickets as well as car rentals?
If you are looking for a package deal, look early. Youll find more available and lower prices calling your name as well. All it takes is a few minutes to get the planning started so start as soon as you can!
You can and should browse through the selection of reservations available on the web. Take a few minutes to compare prices and to find who has the best rates. Various airlines will offer better prices than others, yet some of the larger companies may offer a great airline and hotel package that saves you quite a bit of money. So, consider all of your options.

We can not stress enough the importance of taking the time to book your Las Vegas reservations on the web. Truly, this is so important because it helps you to get the best price on top of everything else. You have so much to choose from and the best availalability as well. So, as you can see, there are many reasons to book your Las Vegas reservations right here, on the web!

COMPUTING ON THE MOVE

Well i’m off on my holidays,this time abroad,the good ole USA,but i still need to be “on-line” on a daily basis for my personal & business needs, so i have brought some lightweight products ,that don’t take much room and are easily transportable

1, THE COMPUTER

Well the first thing is the computer ,shall i take my old compaq armarda M700 ,which has been usefull in the past or shall i invest in a new one , here we go scouting around the shops or should i say online ,there’s so many choices from, this notebook to that notebook with this spec’ to that spec’geez my holiday will be over before i choose one at this rate .In the finish i have made my choice on size ,purely for travelings sake ,i went for for a Packard Bell XS200-06,seems a pretty good choice to me, it has a built in web cam ,microphone ,ofcourse speakers,bluetooth ,wifi , hey its the business,as long as you have keen eye sight, as the screens a bit small, its ideal for me.only weighs a couple of kilo’s, so i thinK i have made a good choice.

2, MUSIC

Now i’m not into music in a big way just a few songs,so i won’t be taking too much in that regards ,cut out the cd’s, so i have brought myself a mp3/dab radio .my other portable radio packed up so this one will do two jobs.As i’m driving over 2000 miles i need some entertianment to keep me entertained,and my experiences in the past of radio stations in america have not been good i can record off the net my favourite english station and download onto my new Alba mp3 player,and thro’ a simple device can get it playing thro’ the car stereo system..im ready to go now .

3, ATTACHMENTS & ACCESSORIES

So what do i need in this area,i prefer a handheld mouse rather than the inbuilt touch pad ,i’ll be taking my phone so i need my charger,head set perhaps ,external mic so i can keep in touch with “back home” at a discount rate,carry case, Now buying these bits indiviually might cost a few pounds , but wait i have found something cool, the local supermarket is selling computers & accessories this week, lets see what they’ve got…I’m in luck an accessory pack for 14.99 WOW,what a deal. Now i ain’t heard that much about Tevion products but anything else i have brought from there seem good quality, and for that small amount i’m prepared to take a chance ,so what do we have?

1, USB KEYPAD…………….not much use ,but i can make the space usefull for something else
2, USB HUB 4-WAY………….great as the laptop has only 2 usb sockets this might come in handy
3, USB CABLE……………..okay if i need a bit of extension i guess
4. EARPIECE with MIC………great,small compact and will definatly come in handy
5, NETWORK CABLE …………okay this might be usefull at some of the motels i stay at
6, USB MINI OPTICAL MOUSE….fantastic will be extreemly usefull
7, MINI USB ADAPTOR……….saves me taking the mp3 cable ..great
8, USB PIN ADAPTOR………..may be useful at some point
9, USB LIGHT……………..i’ve found these out to be useless in the past ,but you never know

and all wrapped up in a smart 6″ x 2″ zip up case what a GREAT deal

So there we are i’m ready to go i got my electronics, my ticket the faithfull credit card next stop AMERICA
LAPTOP COMPUTERS

www.discount-notebooks.net

Block Island is a refuge for people and nature. Youll discover towering cliffs, stunning views and some of the best beaches on the New England coast… and without the crowds. You see Block Island takes a little bit of effort to get there, and this is good news for you, as most people wont take the trouble to take the one-hour ferry ride from the mainland.

But its their loss… and your gain.

Block Island is a seaside jewel lying 12 miles off the southern coast of Rhode Island. This is a place where nature clings to every pond, stone-walled trail, beach, and everything in between. Its a paradise for cyclists, and a haven for those ready to leave the trappings and demands of the mainland behind.

Most people take the ferry from Port Judith, which takes one hour across The Sound, and plants you in the hub of Block Island at Old Harbor. A Seasonal ferry service also runs from Newport RI and Montauk NY.

Coming to the Island is a shift in time, with its rugged undeveloped reserves… and open field farmlands… and narrow roads lined with stone walls and wild roses. Block Island invites you to relax in dress and time. Its a chance for you to rediscover nature again, and appreciate this geological remains from the last Ice Age.

Heres suggested destinations to help you enjoy Block Island to its fullest…

THE VIEW FROM MOHEGAN BLUFFS…

You dont want to miss the view from Mohegan Bluffs. Take the Mohegan Trail from the village of Old Harbor out to the Bluffs.

Mohegan Bluffs overlook the southern coast of Block Island, and on a clear day you can see Montauk, NY on Long Island, about 18 miles away. The cliffs tower 200 feet above the shoreline and offer stunning views of the landscape and the Southeast Light. A steep set of wooden steeps leads down to the beach below.

At this beach a marauding band of Mohegan Indians were repressed by the local tribe, and gave name to the bluffs.

THE BLOCK ISLAND LIGHTHOUSES

Block Island has two lighthouses: Southeast Light and North Light.

Southeast Light sits atop Mohegan Bluffs and was moved back from a perilous position on the cliffs in 1993. This is an attractive redbrick lighthouse built in 1875, and contains a museum inside for you to explore.

North Light is at Sandy Point on the northern tip pf Block Island. This is the fourth lighthouse in this location and was built in 1867. Two of the previous lights were washed away and the third was dismantled because its position did more harm than good.

North Light is within the boundaries of the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, and thats where we were heading anyway…

BLOCK ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Located on the North End of Block Island the refuge is now a 127-acre habitat for wildlife and for visitors to enjoy the wonder of this natural environment.

If youre a bird-watcher then the fall season offers a spectacular opportunity to view migratory birds, especially songbirds. Bring your camera and binoculars for a very special trip to a very special refuge.

The shoreline area runs from Settlers Rock to Sandy point and the North Light, and then from here to Great Salt Pond. This is an ideal area for walking, bird watching, and breathtaking views.

BLOCK ISLAND BEACHES & PONDS

Block Island beaches are the first stop for many first time visitors. The choices are many and varied. It has 17 pristine miles of gorgeous beaches.

The two-mile Crescent Beach area consists of four beaches: Frederick J. Benson Beach, Scotch Beach, Mansion Beach, and close to the ferry landing is Ballards. These tend to be the most popular, but dont forget just a few minutes bike ride away are deserted beaches, where you can enjoy your own spot of peace and harmony.

For such a tiny area, Block Island boasts an amazing 365 ponds – thats right – one for every day of the year. So as you bike and hike around the island, it doesnt matter where youre at… youre only a few feet away from water.

Permits are required to fish the freshwater ponds.

Other things to do on Block Island include: visits to Manisses Animal Petting Zoo, Settlers Rock, located at the end of Corn Neck Road near a beach on Rhode Island Sound – the rock marks the landing point of European settlers of Block Island in 1661, and kayaking in New Harbor.

Block Island is a well-kept secret. Very few people know about it as a superior vacation destination. And to be honest that suits me just fine. Ill continue to take my trips and enjoy the sanctuary it offers. But Ive shared it with you now, so you have to promise to visit… soon.

While Block Island is a great place to visit for the day, youll get more time to enjoy the island if you stay overnight, or even longer, at any of the varied lodging available. But advanced booking is a must.

Inns and bed and breakfasts abound on the island, with many located near the village of Old Harbor and nearby New Harbor.

Ever wondered if you could deal directly with manufacturers… in China?! It’s easier than you think.

First Impressions
I visited China in Autumn 2005 with a group of business associates and must admit that I was amazed, both by the warm reception we received wherever we went, and at the factories we toured. Having never been there before, and having only news accounts of “difficulties” between China and the U.S. to fuel my imagination, I assumed things would be overly formal and official at best at worst, cold and we would be “watched” constantly. I was so wrong on both counts. We were treated as welcome visitors and had only to ask the hotel staff for something to have it almost magically produced.

Lost in Translation
Outside of the hotels and manufacturing facilities, doing business in the streets and in small shops was, at most times, terribly difficult. We had arranged our factory visits and business meetings with our contacts in China, and there were no problems on that side when it came to language. But once we stepped out on our own, we rarely found anyone – even in tourist gift shops – who could communicate in English at all. Next time I visit China, I’ll hopefully be armed with a few more basic Mandarin phrases, but for everyone visiting, even just for leisure, I’d recommend hiring translators to assist you.

Cash in China
Another word of warning: business owners back home in the States may be suitably impressed by your Gold Card, but to the Chinese shopkeeper it’s just a pretty piece of plastic that won’t buy a cup of Chinese tea. Even in the large cities, you’re going to have to carry around Chinese Yuan (aka Renminbi) in cash if you want to be able to go shopping or eat at a restaurant. I have to say, the upside of this is that you won’t find yourself going over budget. But with the incredibly low Chinese retail prices, that probably wouldn’t happen anyway.

Low Retail Prices
Once you’ve overcome the communication difficulties you’ll be amazed to find the bargains you’ll find in the small shops. For a start, it’s an electronics paradise. Just make sure you do your homework on what will and won’t work back in the States. For example, you’ll find that some Chinese DVD players, though remarkably low-cost, are manufactured to a Chinese standard that is not compatible with DVD discs sold in other parts of the world.

Factories in China
Our visit to a manufacturing plant in Huizhou left us all . . . well, ‘impressed’ hardly seems like a strong enough word. The building, on the outside was sort of drab looking with banners hanging here and there but inside was quite a different story. First of all we were treated as if we were VIPs instead of mid-level managers from Kenosha. Most importantly, however, the level of automation in this factory was remarkable, even by American standards and, when you look at the numbers, you see that the productivity is really impressive. It’s no longer a mystery to this American why China is finding such a willing market in America.

Back Again
I wish I had more than the seven days we were able to stay in China, but it won’t be long before I’m back, this time with a group of my friends who have been listening to me talking about the business opportunities since I got back and who now want to go out there to get a piece of the action for themselves.

As one flies over Vancouver during the decent into the Canadian citys airport, the surrounding beautiful natural scenery is already noticed with mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Once inside the baggage claim area of the international airport, visitors are greeted with large Pacific Northwest Coast Indian art carvings. This adds to the overall flavor of nature and the environment that makes Vancouver so different from other major cities. When driving along Granville Street towards the city center, one cant help but notice that the trees and hedges in the residential areas are so much larger and taller than the ones we normally see elsewhere. One of the
locals claims that the superior growth of the areas plant life is due to the huge amount of rainfall. Vancouver is close to both the ocean and the mountain range so lots of rain is expected. In fact, the rain here can actually be a problem as grey skies, especially during the winter months, are one of the few negatives of living in Vancouver. Fortunately, there is very little snowfall within the city so for Vancouverites, it is a trade off of some sort to have to deal with rain rather than shoveling snow during their winters. As for tourists, the best time to visit Vancouver is the least wet season which is during the summer months. Ive been told by another local that September is one of the best months to visit. When the sun is shining in Vancouver with both the ocean and mountains as the background, it really doesnt get any better.

Stanley Park on the west side of downtown Vancouver is the most visited attraction. A drive around the island will reveal great photo spots of both the city and the ocean. Vancouvers Aquarium is also on site in Stanley Park as well as a magnificent collection of Pacific Northwest Coastal Indian art totem poles. Of course, one can always marvel at the tall trees which seem to touch the skies here. The Lions Gate Suspension Bridge connects Stanley Park with North Vancouver on the other side of the harbor. On the north side is Grouse Mountain, the areas closest ski resort to the city that has turned into an all year round attraction. During the non-winter months, one can take the gondola up Grouse mountain for some wonderful hiking and views of the Vancouver skyline. The Capilano Suspension Bridge which visitors walk across to a nice nature area is another must see nearby. One of the cuisine highlights in the British Columbia province is the salmon and one of the best restaurants to sample it is the Salmon House in adjacent West Vancouver. Dinner there with the Pacific Northwest Coast Indian art dcor and spectacular nighttime views of the city is one of the best ways to finish off a day of sightseeing.

Back in downtown Vancouver, the Gastown district is one of the top tourist areas for boutique shopping and souvenirs. Dont miss the steam clock that rings on the hour. Vancouver has one of the largest Asian communities in North America so the Chinatown nearby as expected has some of the best dim sum luncheons outside of Hong Kong. Further boutique shopping can be found in the Yaletown and Granville Island districts.

If time permits, one of the recommended day trips to do out of Vancouver is to drive up the Sea & Sky highway to Whistler, one of North Americas largest ski resorts. During the off ski season, Whistler is all season resort with many activities such as hiking, biking, festivities and shopping in the village. A ride up the gondola here will enable visitors to get a birds eye view of the majestic Canadian Rockies mountain range. The drive itself to Whistler, about two and a half hours along the coastline, offers many wonderful scenic points as well.

Vancouver is a great city to visit as one can really see how a major city can still be in very scenic surroundings. For those coming to Vancouver as the departure port of a cruise to either Hawaii or Alaska, it is highly recommended to allocate at least a full day before or after the cruise to see what the city has to offer. As I mentioned before, on a sunny day with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other, Vancouver is really hard to beat.