Two Dog Zoo Travel

I was just speaking with some friends about my camera. I love my camera, and it does most everything I need it to. There are two downfalls to it… 1)after snapping a picture with flash, takes awhile to prepare for another 2) it’s older and a 4 megapixel camera. (older, like 2 years)

Here’s where the problem comes in. When I’m just snapping happy, fun pictures for my blog, it’s not really an issue, but when I want to crop or shrink a photo, I’m losing clarity. I need a higher megapixel. It became clear to me when I snapped a few pictures of hotels for one of my websites, and when I shrunk them down in size, they changed in appearance. The sharp focus was no longer there.

When you have a camera that does pretty much all you need, there’s not usually a reason to replace it. On the other hand, since I want better quality photos and crisp shots on my websites, I think the time has come to upgrade.

I’ll be saving my Nikon Coolpix for a backup camera, since it’s a handy one and I enjoy the ease of use, but it looks like I’m heading for a Cannon Powershot soon, with a 7.1 megapixel, and 4x zoom range.

I’ll be sure to let you know what I end up doing, since I’m not in a hurry. I am considering it at this point, but it’s not a priority.

I’ll get to scratch that travel itch, as I’m booked to hit Florida in April. Ooooh, that feels good. Can’t wait for a little extra sunshine and warmth. Shopping, sunning and swimming….life is good.

I’ve been busy working on a couple websites, and I’m having a hard time keeping my focus. I keep thinking I want to go somewhere to relax. I’m going to check out some last minute vacation deals and see about taking a short trip. With some extra stress my sister’s been having, now would be a good time. Worst case scenario, I stay closer to home, but I’d like to go somewhere warm. My brain is focused on Florida or the Caribbean at this point.

I’m building an Orlando site too, so that doesn’t help matters. When I’m writing about the area, it just makes me want to go there!

I’m over the moon with excitement. I just found out that this September, I’m going to get the chance to get together with a group of friends. I can’t wait! There’s a get together I missed in Vegas last year due to a vacation, and this year, the timing falls exactly when I’ll be on vacation again….only this year, I’ll be on vacation where the get together is! I’ll be 20 minutes away!!!! How is that for timing.

So, so, so happy to see this group of friends all together. Woohoooo!

You may have wondered if I went off somewhere, since there was a break in writing! Nope, I didn’t get to take a spring fling. I’ve been busy at work building a couple of websites. Two of those sites are based around travel. I’ll give you a peak at one of them, “Long Beach Island Summers” which is an “all things Long Beach Island” kind of useful guide.

When I started building this site and the others, I got very involved, and found myself working 10 hour stretches to get a lot accomplished. While lack of focus chases me some days, these last two weeks I’ve been in the zone. I’m also in the middle of an Orlando site.

Now that I have the basics done on each, I’ll have a little more free time, and more to say!

My brother-in-law confirmed a trip to Ireland for a golf holiday this past week. Unfortunately the very next day something forced them to cancel their trip. Here’s hoping they work around the issue and he still gets to go!

When it comes to relaxing, golf is a game many love to play. One way to combine relaxing with something you love is to looking into golf vacation packages. There are many online, or you can even check in with a travel agent to help you set one up.

Look for “stay and play” packages, which include golf course play at certain hotels as a combined package. It’s always important to check for special arrangements or requirements, so if this is your first time, check with a travel agent to firm up details. It all comes down to fine print at times, so check all tiny details.

Maybe your family would like to do Disney in Florida, you can work in some great golf while your family runs off to enjoy the amusement park. Do you have a business trip near a great golf course? Why not extend your trip and stay to play with an Orlando golf vacation. As for my brother-in-law, he’s Irish, so getting to Ireland is an exciting venture for him. I’m hoping he makes it there!

Another thing to consider when traveling to a golf course, is traveling with your own clubs or renting them. Most people want to play with their own clubs, but hopping a plane with golf clubs takes some special considerations. You’re going to want a very durable bag for protection, because you won’t be carrying those bad boys onto the plane with you!
You’ll also want to look at the tee times and when they are set for. If you’re more concerned with the course your playing in than the lodging, first locate the course and then find lodging. If lodging is your priority, look for hotels that offer preferred tee times. Having the tee time you’d like will make your trip that much more relaxing.
Where will you be booking your next golf vacation package?

Thanks to my friend Angie for pointing out that my blog was Blog of the Day over at PPP.

How fun, I am blog of the day! I guess this is a great time to tell you about my travel plans for the year. I just finalized the details, so the timing couldn’t be better.

I’ll be taking three trips this year, one to the Jersey Shore, one to Florida, and one to Myrtle Beach.

Our beach vacation will be a quiet week of just my husband and I relaxing, taking things day by day, and not making any specific plans. It will be very low key, which is what we love. I’ll be visiting Long Beach Island, which is a favorite of mine. If you’d like to learn more about LBI, I write about it often over on my main blog Surviving NJ. Be sure to poke around the “New Jersey” category for lots of pictures of this quaint little town.

I’ll be taking my son to Florida for 3 days, and then we’ll drive up to Myrtle Beach for a week. We’ve done Disney three times all ready, so I think we’ll be looking at things like the Kennedy Space Center and other options. At Myrtle Beach, you’ll see us enjoying the fun and sun, swimming and hitting the beach. I may even get the chance to see my friend Cass who doesn’t live too far from here.

Later in the year, my husband and I will be venturing back to Florida again. I have a vacation club, which always seems to have openings down there. Again, we’ll play it by ear, and be sure to hit the smaller side sites, as well as the big daddy entertainment. We loved La Nouba last time we were in Disney, so maybe we’ll go back there for another visit. We’ll be driving down the east coast, so I’ll look forward to stopping in and seeing my friend Marcus along the way.

You may recognize some of those names if you’re from the PPP group, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet each one of them before! I’ll look forward to the opportunity once again. I’m proud to call them my friends.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog today!

Cheers, Deb

I wasn’t immediately in love with New York City like my husband was. He loves the bustling crowds, the business of the city, and the crazy traffic patterns, even though he doesn’t drive in it. He feels like the city is alive and just always moving. As for me, I’m a suburb girl, so getting used to cities takes me a little bit. It’s overwhelming at times, when you aren’t ready for it.

People talk about going to New York, but if you aren’t used to such massive crowds walking on the sidewalk, it can feel crazy! Keep up or get out of the way, is the only way I can explain it. Sometimes you’re zigging and zagging to get through a crowd, and let me be honest, there’s always a crowd.

I guess because I’ve seen skyscrapers they don’t overwhelm me, but I can imagine what it would feel like to someone who hasn’t seen them before. They are huge…and one after another. There’s not much space left, so people build up! The path train and subway are moving, and it’s all a new experience.

I remember looking out of my hotel room on the 42nd floor in Time Square, and early Sunday morning, the cabs looked like ants at a picnic. They were everywhere, and just a steady stream kept moving!

If you’re planning to go to New York, and it’s a new experience for you, here are some things to keep in mind.

Rooms are small in New York, and it’s an expensive place. There are different areas of New York and lots of public transportation, so getting around isn’t hard. You may save some money by staying at a place just outside of the area you want to get to. There are different sections, so figure out what your purpose is before planning on where you’ll stay.

New York has about every type of food you can imagine. There are a massive range of eateries, whether you’re looking for inexpensive grub to first class cuisine. Many places will deliver as well, so if you’re planning on eating in, check with the lobby concierge for ideas!

There are a lot of different things to see in New York whether it’s Central Park that has your interest, museums, culture, or art. Don’t forget that the Statue of Liberty is near by as well as the famed Empire State building and Rockefeller building.

Flagging down a taxi is an art form! Ha, sometimes you get their attention, sometimes you don’t. Bring an umbrella, in the rain it can be tough to get a cab!

If you have time, take a city tour so you can catch all the highlights at one time.

The Broadway area is divine if you love a good show. There are so many shows playing both on and off Broadway. I’d recommend Avenue Q and Mama Mia for a fun night. Check Madison Square Garden for concerts, sports and shows.

The last few days have really been interesting here when it comes to vacation talk! We’ve decided on a few final thoughts. I’ll be using the timeshare with my son for a trip in the summer, and hubby and I are going to do something a little different. I’m not sure how it all got twisted around, but that’s the final decision.

I spent hours pouring over the timeshare catalog, along with checking reviews at TripAdvisor.com and VirtualTourist.com. I finally narrowed it down to four choices. I make the call and it turns out ALL 4 of them were fully booked. Damn…back to the drawing board. I spend the entire day on Wednesday once again scouring for a list of resorts we were interested in. This time, armed with 15 resorts to choose from in order, I called to go through the list. Guess which number I got…no, go on and guess. If you guessed none of them, you’d be correct! Can you believe it? 19 Flippin’ resorts in two days, and they’re all booked? Come on, you’ve got to be kidding me?

Last time I booked with my vacation club, I had no problem, got in without a hitch. I guess I didn’t move soon enough this time. I think I booked in September for June last time, so by January, things are filled up and I’ve learned a lesson for next year. I had choices ranging from Key West to Myrtle Beach, from Cocoa Beach to Marcos Island. Hilton Head was booked, as was Daytona.

Instead of going back to the drawing board, I opted to choose a place via a private owner and book a dang trip before I couldn’t find what I wanted. I sorted through tons of listings, and didn’t want a simple classified ad. I wanted someone who worked through a real estate company or the resort management, so I knew it would be legit. I finally chose something, and I’m waiting to hear back. I wanted to stay in a particular budget, along with having a great place with a little extra room.

As for the timeshare, I’ll either end up using it in New York City like we talked of, or out in Vegas if it’s open, though it’s peak season then, so it might be tough to get it. Once I have this firmed up for my summer trip, then I’ll work on scheduling the timeshare for fall or something with my husband. There’s a place in the Florida Keys that has me ooh-ing and aahh-ing, and hubby just may be up for a fall fling!

Ha! Yet again, our travel plans have changed. It’s craziness as we discussed travel the last few days at my house. The final outcome is that I’ll be using the vacation club for a summer trip with my son. When I fly to Vegas for a conference, my husband will come along and we’ll get a hotel.

I’m not sure how it swung from one topic to another, but I’ll be glad once things are booked, so they don’t keep changing! It’s not unlike me to change my mind multiple times, but this was just nuts. We kept playing with ideas, shifting things around, and decided to continue forward.

We will be keeping the timeshare, as we also found we’re part of a larger network and our options have opened wide. It appears like our choices have multiplied ten fold at least, so this helps us in our choices. It also brings us some relief, because we thought we were tied to one group which gave us about a 100 choices, rather than the 2,000+ now at my disposal. I know what you’re thinking, why don’t you all ready know that stuff?

I inherited the vacation club, so I wasn’t the one who initially signed up. I’m learning as I go. We’ve used it once before and were quite happy with our accommodations. Last year we used our points to pay our fees. Now that there are so many choices, it’s a no brainer to keep it.

Very happy with all the choices we have available now!

I hope to finally book this week or next, so that I can once and for all, know what are plans are.