Westminster Travel Trips

In spite of world events, travel is still an activity that continues to be extremely popular. People will still have the desire to see new places and experience new things in the way that only travel can give them. Because of the importance of travel, an affordable and relatively pain free experience is high on the traveler’s adjenda. A successful trip starts off with proper planning, but many beginner travelers don’t realize that planning your travel budget, is just as important as planning your travel itinerary. The more successful you are with creating a budget that will work for your itinerary, the happier you will be about your travel experience.

Outside of major mishaps that can occur during travel, such as bad weather, theft, and mechanical breakdown, there are some costs that many travelers forget to take into account when budgeting for their trip. These are costs that can’t usually be avoided, but can be easily planned for.

1. Extra Hotel Charges

When most people book hotels online, most times they don’t see the extra taxes and fees included in the prices that are quoted. Sometimes when the quote is given, it will include estimated taxes, but the quote may not list the exact cost. Therefore, you should plan your budget to include unexpected taxes.

Other costs could be movies charged to the hotel room, tipping the concierge, and room service. These charges can vary greatly depending upon how often they are used. Movies charged to a hotel room can be as much as $10 per movie, and room service is usually more expensive than eating out at a restaurant.

The key is to determine before hand, a daily budget for extra hotel charges and stay within that budget. If you choose one day to go over your budget, use it from any leftover balance you may have from the previous days. If you use any of your daily alotment designated for the future days, you run the risk of spending all of your budget for extra hotel charges before your stay is up. Some self control is obviously required, however, it can also lead to having enough to do something really extravagant on your last day.

2. Transportation Costs

Transportation costs include expenses such as cab, bus, or train fares, any rentals of cars, bikes or motorcycles, and also gasoline and parking costs for rented vehicles. Many travelers will take into account the major costs such as car rentals, and even some occassional fares, but may leave out other required costs such as parking, and gas which can add up.

If you plan to travel to a destination where you will need to rent a car, it is a good idea to plan for at least $30 per day for every day you have the car, for parking expenses and gasoline. This amount can vary depending upon the destination, but if you are planning on being in a metropolitan area, you will find out that your $30 daily budget can be eaten away quite easily.

If you are driving to your destination, you should calculate the milage you get per gallon of your vehicle and then calculate the distance you need to drive to your destination and determine how many gallons of gasoline it will take you to get to your destination. Take the national average of the price of a gallon of gasoline, and add an extra 15% on top of that. Then you can determine how much it would cost to get to your destination by car. You should also add the cost of at least two tankfulls of gas once you are at your destination if you plan on using the vehicle after you arrive.

If you plan to use the public transportation system, you can look in any number of the latest guide books to find the expected costs of bus and train fares at your destination. Once you know these, and know your itinerary, you can make a reasonable guess on what your daily budget would be for public transportation. Always add an additional 10-15% for contingencies.

3. Special Attractions and Events

Costs for special attractions and events can really creep into your expenses when you are either traveling to your destination or are at your destination. Occasionally, featured attractions, or other events will pop up on your radar as you go through your itinerary.

When making travel plans, make sure you consider the trip in addtion to your hotel stays along the way, food, and gasoline. Most travelers don’t take into account how they will feel as they are traveling. It could be that at some point along the way, everyone in the car is really getting on everyone’s last nerve, and a movie, or a half day at the amusement park will put everyone in a better mood to complete the trip without it resembling a Jerry Springer episode. Or it could be that your favorite band is performing in the city you will be driving though, and you just can’t pass up that opportunity.

It is usually difficult to know of every last thing before you start your trip, but you should still budget for unexpected activities you may want to do on your way to your destination. It will make traveling much more fun and spontaneous.

Planning your travel budget is something that can be a bit of an art, but there are decisions you can make that will make it less likely you will run out of money before your trip ends. Just take into account your everyday costs and will greatly increase your chances in establishing a budget that will give you enough money to complety your trip with minimal drama. You can easily find information and tips online to help you with your travel plans when setting your budget limits. Go online today to find these resources.

Copyright 2006 B Hopkins

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Kenya’s 480 km coast is one of the principal attractions for visitors to the country. Every year, hundreds of thousands of sun lovers find their way here. Many are returning pilgrims who truly know that the sun here is ever faithful. Unlike other beach destinations, the visitor is served with much more than just sun and sand but is delighted to discover ancient coastal forests and historical sites and a people with a fascinating history and culture. The casual visitor impressed by the tranquil beaches and gentle people will not suspect the colourful and eventful history of these realms.

For the tourist, the Kenyan coast can be seen as five regions. These are: the town and island of Mombasa; the south coast –stretching from Mombasa to the Tanzanian border 135 km away: the north coast- covering the beaches from Mombasa up to Kilifi, 60 km away: Malindi and Watamu about 130 km to the northeast of Mombasa and Lamu island and archipelago, 225 km further up from Malindi. Each of these regions has similarities in terms of history, culture, natural attractions and beach experience. But as sports fans will understand, it is the differences that matter to the dedicated fans of each region.

The gateway to the Kenyan coast is Mombasa. You get here by flying into its international airport or by taking the 520 km road journey from Nairobi, the common entry port for most visitors. If you demand the freedom of your own car, consider taking a rental car either in Nairobi on in Mombasa to help you get around. Review the options you have for Kenya Car Rental and Kenya Domestic Flights as you plan to get there.

Mombasa, the principal city at Kenya’s coast is one of the oldest human settlements on the eastern seaboard of the African continent. Though it has without doubt been in existence for at least 700 years, it is mentioned in writings of Arab, Roman and Egyptian travelers dated as far back as 2,500 years ago. The Arabs came to trade and settle, starting from about the 8th century AD. With the push of the northeast monsoon, their dhows brought ironware, glassware, textiles, and took home rhino horn, ivory and slaves. Substantial settlements gradually developed and many traders settled and intermarried with local Africans. The Arabs also brought along the message of the Prophet and the Kenyan coast is even today predominantly Muslim.

Relative tranquility prevailed at the coastal towns until the Portuguese showed up at the end of the 15th century. The Portuguese were a substantial seafaring power of the day and were anxious to break the stranglehold of the Ottoman Empire on Indian Ocean trade. Vasco Da Gama opened the way for his compatriots when he made his way round the southern tip of Africa and up to eastern Africa in 1498. The Portuguese were not warmly received in Mombasa, but not so at Malindi. The local sultan offered his ready friendship and proved very useful to Da Gama by providing a pilot who knew how to get to India, his ultimate destination.

Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Mombasa saw plenty of war. For this reason, the city was nicknamed Mvita, which in Swahili translates as Isle of War. Fort Jesus, the permanent garrison whose construction was started by the Portuguese in 1593, changed masters 9 times before 1875. By the terror of war, the Portuguese sought to control the east African coast. As colonial overlords, the Portuguese were deficient in that they were mostly interested in plunder and trade and did not establish robust systems of administration. Another related difficulty they faced was that they were supplied from Goa in India. The student of military theory will recognise this as a classical case of “long supply lines”.

The Portuguese were finally driven out by the emerging power of Omani Arabs in 1729. The ascendancy of the Omani Arabs lasted until Britain, a leading super power at the time, appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. The British came in under the guise of a humanitarian mission- the suppression of the slave trade. The Omani Arabs were notorious slave traders. Christian missionaries put pressure on the British government to persuade the Omani Arabs to pursue other trade other than trafficking in humans. This is somewhat like the problem the Americans face today in South America with respect to the cocaine trade.

The British were actually successful in this, by using time honoured carrot and stick tactics. Under the resulting deal, the Omani Arabs whose headquarters was in Zanzibar were recognized as overlords over a 16 km strip along the Kenyan coast. The sultan was to be paid an annuity as compensation for resulting loss of revenue. This territory acquired the status of a British Protectorate until 1963 when the Sultan of Zanzibar ceded it to the newly independent Kenyan nation.

Mombasa is today a cosmopolitan metropolis reflecting the influence of Africans, Persians, Arabs, Turks, Indians, Portuguese and the British. The Old Town is a grid of narrow winding streets lined with houses built to coastal Swahili and Indian styles. Some of the houses have intricately carved doors similar to what you find in Zanzibar and Lamu. In the Old Town you will find Fort Jesus, the permanent garrison built by the hapless Portuguese. Fort Jesus, in addition to being an attraction itself, houses a museum exhibiting various artifacts reflecting the various cultures that have influenced the Kenyan coast. You will also see articles recovered from the ill-fated Portuguese warship Santo Antonio De Tanna, which sank in the siege of 1697 that lasted 1000 days.

In Mombasa you can take an all day dhow trip and relive the experience of the traders who sailed along the East African coast and as far as India and the Persian Gulf aboard these vessels for centuries. For the past few years, every November the Mombasa Carnival has been staged in the town. The Carnival is a lively street parade where you see incredibly adorned musicians and other artists from the Kenyan coast and other parts of the country. Street comedians, Swahili Taarab singers, Maasai warriors, brass bands and individual artists in outrageous costumes brave the November heat to march in the parade.

Visitors to the south coast usually head to Shelley, Tiwi, Diani, Msambweni and Shimoni. These are the beaches to the south of Mombasa, where hotel and resort development has taken place. To get to the south coast beaches you need to take the ferry at Likoni, the southern tip of Mombasa Island. If this does not suit you, take a flight to Diani airstrip. Diani beach, 40 km from Mombasa is the most developed beach at the south coast. This is the quintessential tropical paradise and here you will find a wide range of hotels, including an 18-hole golf resort. Though some of the other beaches are excellent, they have limited range of accommodation and attract fewer people.

Shimoni, 100 km from Mombasa is a centre for serious deep-sea fishing. It is also from Shimoni that you can visit the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park. Here you will see the treasures of Kenya’s underwater world. At the marine park, the snorkeling experience is outstanding and on a lucky day you will swim with the dolphins. At Shimoni, there are a series of deep coastal caves stretching from the sea to deep inland. Arab slavers reportedly used these caves in the dark days of the slave trade. The slaves who perished here are remembered in Roger Whittaker’s song “Shimoni”.

At the south coast you have plenty of chances to indulge in some thrilling marine activity such as water skiing, wind surfing, scuba diving, goggling and deep-sea fishing. The Shimba Hills National Reserve, directly inland from Diani is a surprise and you have the opportunity to see some of the wildlife that Kenya is famed for. Though the wildlife is not as prolific as in the upcountry game parks, the beautiful rainforest and the spectacular Sheldrick Falls make it worth a visit. You can also spend the night here at Kenya’s only tree lodge at the coast, which has some water holes where elephants and other animals come for a drink.

The main attraction of the north coast is its beaches. Heading north from Mombasa these are: Nyali, Bamburi, Shanzu, Vipingo and Kikambala. Here you will find hotel and resort complexes to suit the taste of most beach holiday enthusiasts. From your north coast base, you may want to visit Mamba Village, reputed to be one of the worlds’ largest crocodile farms. Those interested in eco conservation projects must not miss Haller Park. The park is named after the Swiss agronomist who by sheer grit and vision transformed a huge abandoned cement quarry into a spectacular 7 sq km nature and animal sanctuary.

At Mtwapa, just beyond Shanzu beach, Kenya Marineland houses some very diverse marine life, which you view from a glass-sided underground tunnel. From the same point, you can take a dhow sailing trip that includes onboard entertainment – acrobatics, fire eating and local dancers. Just off the coast, spectacular coral reefs teem with numerous fish, sea turtles and dolphins. You have an opportunity for world-class diving here, including some serious wreck diving. Diving at the Kenyan coast is good year round, expect in the months of July and August when silting and high seas are a problem.

Malindi has a history going back at least 800 years. This is the only town along the east African coast where the Portuguese found friendship without the persuasion of arms. Vasco Da Gama erected a pillar to serve as a navigation aid that still stands. Today, the town is a particular favourite with Italian visitors. Most of the hotel and resort development are to the south of the town along the Silversands beachfront and nearer town around Malindi Bay. At Malindi Marine National Park, you can see some fascinating coral gardens by diving, snorkeling or from a glass bottomed boat.

Malindi is a respected centre for big game fishing and several world records have been set here. The writer Hemingway was here in the 1930’s to enjoy one of his favourite macho sports. Watamu, 15 km further south, is a small beach development around the beautiful inlets of Turtle Bay and Blue Lagoon. Watamu too has its own Marine Park. At the edge of the park, you find a collection of caves housing a school of giant rock cod, some stretching the whole of 2 metres. Consider making an excursion to Gedi Ruins, one of Kenya archeological treasures. Gedi is estimated to have been founded in the 13th century but was mysteriously abandoned in the 17th century. Experts guess that marauding Galla tribesmen from up north did in the settlement.

Lamu has in recent years found favour with the international glitterati. The town has an ambience of mediaeval romance that attracts those who are offended by the burdens of our modern existence. Life in the island goes on almost like it did in the 14th century when the settlement was founded. Lamu has narrow streets and the town has only a single car for use by the top government official. Everybody else walks, takes a dhow or uses donkey taxis. If you come in by air you land at nearby Manda Island, from where you take a dhow or ferry. In this centre of Islamic culture, the men wear full-length whites and the women are shorn head to toe in black.

Shela is the main beach on the island and is just 15 minutes away by motorboat. You will find good rated accommodation at Lamu. There are also some very pricey hideaways in the neighboring islands of the archipelago favoured by the jet set. In the centre of the town, you find a fort built by invading Omani Arabs in the early 19th century that now serves as a cultural centre. Lamu museum is located at the seafront, in a house once occupied by Jack Haggard, Queen Victoria’s consul in this then important outpost. The museum is a repository of Swahili culture and on display are artifacts, dhows, jewelry and crafts.

At Mombasa and the Kenyan Coast you will find rated accommodation. Once you are there, you can take a break to view some of the wildlife that the country is famed for. From Mombasa, the nearest park reachable by road is Tsavo East, 4 hours away. Another good option is to fly to the Maasai Mara, Kenya’s top wildlife sanctuary and home to the big five- elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo. There are many Kenya safari options with Mombasa departures

The Kenyan coast has a tropical climate and it is a hot and humid place. Temperatures year round vary between 22

I think that we have been to over a dozen beaches and cities in Florida. It seems to be the place we choose whenever we travel for a number of reasons. Maybe you have a certain destination you love, and like us, want to venture out and try new vacation spots.

So, without further ado, here are our reasons we love traveling to the best Florida beaches & you will too

Florida has some of the best beaches in the world. You have an array of places to choose from that will provide you different activities, beauty, and fun each time you go. Whether you go to the Gulfcoast of Florida, the Atlantic Coast, or The Keys, you will get everything you want and need out of your trip. Plus, if you get bored or tired of one coast, which probably won’t happen, try the other coast. The Keys are one vacation spot you must visit at least once.

Perfect for anyone. Whether you are a family taking your children, an older couple taking time together, a group traveling with friends, a student wanting to party on spring break, or a couple wanting to find romance, Florida will offer it all.

Orlando and Disney World. Who doesn’t want to visit this magical place? With so many attractions to choose from and things to do in Orlando Florida, you can’t go wrong. There is shopping, adventure, romance, great food, entertainment, and everything you can imagine from a Disney extravaganza.

Variety. Again, if you are looking for multiple vacation ideas, Florida is your spot. There are plenty of things to do in Florida. This ranges from relaxing on the beautiful beaches, sunsets, fishing from piers, driving down the A1A highway, visiting some of the most luxurious spots in the world (like Palm Beach), shopping that will have your heads and wallets spinning for weeks, boating, jet skis, other water activities, golfing, and more.

Enjoy great food, entertainment, nightlife, gorgeous architecture, history, people, and so much more.

The Weather. The weather is great. Yes, there are hurricanes and you should plan your vacation wisely. This is typically between August and October, however we have been seeing a string of hurricanes beginning earlier in the summer. Otherwise, you will receive weather that is awesome. Excellent fun and sun!

You have many options on where to stay and how to get there. Stay in a beachfront condo or home instead of a hotel. Venture off into the woods in one of Florida’s great campgrounds or rent a houseboat for the week. Florida is fairly convenient for everyone for flying and perhaps even driving (depending on what part of country/world you live).
We always suggest, and do ourselves, fly down because you get there quicker, and rent a cool car for your vacation. You will have fun touring around town and exploring.

This leads us into our favorite reason

Cost. Traveling to Florida is quite inexpensive. It can be as luxurious as you want, but if you are looking for an affordable vacation, Florida provides that too. If you are like us and on a budget, taking a vacation is something you must plan ahead and save for. Plus, you want to be able to enjoy and do everything possible. If you worry about money the whole time, your vacation becomes less relaxing and stressful. Don’t let that happen. If you can’t afford to visit an exotic island this year, don’t fret, go to Florida and have a wonderful time!

Discount Florida Vacations is a total Florida vacation guide offering fun, sun, tips, ideas, checklists, help, recommendations, resources, and experiences for anyone traveling to Florida.
You can find excellent information or plan your trip with us at
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