Exploring The Magnificent World Class City Of Toronto

Toronto Travel Tips

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario, home to over 2.5 million people and an amazing place to visit. This article will help you get the most out of your vacation by explaining some of the most popular and well-loved sights in the Toronto area. 

Art And Culture 

Toronto is considered to be the arts capital of Canada. There are numerous musical, theatrical and artistic festivals happening throughout the year. A must visit for any art lover is the ‘Art Gallery Of Ontario’ located in Toronto’s Chinatown area. This impressive gallery houses over 64,000 pieces of contemporary and modern art. Here you can view spectacular pieces up close, from the likes of Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gough and Pablo Picasso. Special exhibitions are held frequently featuring art from up and coming and established artists – check the museums website for up to date information. 

Toronto Zoo 

A great place to visit on a family day out is the Toronto Zoo. Since opening in 1974 this zoo has grown in size and popularity to become one of the world’s largest zoo’s. Not only is it a fun place to view over 16,000 different species of animals from around the globe, it also is educational experience. There is a special ‘Splash Island’ water park area where you can cool down on a hot summers day whilst learning about wildlife and geography. There are great discounts rates available on family tickets, just make sure you book in advance to save yourself some cash! 

Sports 

If you love sports then you are in for a treat, Toronto practices almost every sport under the sun. With the city currently representing home teams in 5 major league sports, including: baseball, soccer, football, hockey and basketball. You can go and watch a real life game in the huge Rogers Centre, a multi-purpose built sports stadium. Formerly known as the dome, this stadium can hold over 65,000 sports fans . It also puts on exclusive concerts from famous musicians, and in the past musical greats such as Madonna, The Rolling Stones and AC/DC have all performed here. 

The Toronto Waterfront 

Take in the amazing skyline from Toronto’s famous waterfront, located on the shores of the massive Lake Ontario this is a must see for anyone visiting the city of Toronto. The waterfront spans a huge 46 kilometres, but there a several specific places of interest along this shore. The first being downtown Toronto waterfront, here you can get a postcard perfect photograph of Toronto’s skyscrapers. To get the best view it is recommend to go on a tourist boat trip just before sunset. Another place of interest is the beautiful Scarborough Bluffs. These are 
stunning limestone cliffs which tower over the lakes below – a beauty to behold. 
So take your pick for any of the activities above, but don’t forget Toronto has so much more to offer including fine dining experiences, up-market fashion districts, amazing botanical parks and gardens as well as vibrant nightlife. Have a great trip!

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Entrepreneur Journey site. This article originally published on the above website on Feb 25, 2010.

Dominican Republic; An Endless Summer

Where to visit in Dominican Republic

It is vacation time again and you have decided you want one with difference this time. You may have saved up your monies for so long and if there is anything you want it is value for your money. And actually if you can you are looking to experience more value for less dollar, and for this reason you have chosen to visit the Dominican Republic. If you are the usual traveler who just goes by the tide, you will spend all your time in a hotel or resort that was recommended to you by the travel agency. But that is just a tip of the iceberg, so get ready to keep a bagful of tips for you to consider in your trip.

There are many good things that happen to you when you visit the Dominican Republic because the activities are just in the plenty. Whatever you love to have in your holiday, you get it here in very pocket friendly packages. Whether you want to go for windsurfing, scuba diving, a little tan on your skin in the sandy beaches or even some little indulgence with the beautiful local women, this is a place you will want to come again and again especially if you discover the good hidden places.

Anyone who has been on vacation in Dominican Republic and never got to visit Bavaro and Punta Cana missed half of their experience. It is this beaches that are located on the South-eastern part of the republic that are the crème de la crème of the beaches in this part of the world. For the new comer or the returning visitor, ensure you have it in your itinerary, because this is a must visit. Your eyes will view miles upon miles of sandy beaches and you will just love the experience.

Words are not enough to tell what experience you will get visiting the renowned La Costa Del Coco because this is just another must if you are to experience in relaxation and joy in your Dominican visit. The long beach is dotted with coconut trees and every class of hotel or resort for everyone’s special liking. There is also the place they call Casa de Campo which you will find nestled in the south coast in an agricultural city known as La Romana. Getting to La Romana is not a problem at all because it is aptly served with an international airport that is close to all the resorts which means you get there fresh and raring to go. But just in case you begin from some other part of Dominican Republic and you want to get here, there really should be no hassle because there are adequate helicopter services that operate to La Romana.

But for the really adventurers person who loves nature, there is no better way of touring Dominican Republic and enjoy all the trappings of Mother Nature than to do a bus ride. You will get a chance of savouring the magnificent landscape and remember to carry your camera along because the pictures you will click away are simple breathtaking. While at Caso de Campo the theatre lover will be reminded to ensure they visit Altos de Chavon whose architecture is inspired by traditional Mediterranean village as well as the famous Las Minitas beach. Enjoy an unforgettable holiday in Dominican republic and you will surely come back again and again.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on Nov 24, 2009.

How to Access Airport Lounges for Free

| Mastercard Airport Experiences by LoungeKey |

If you have a business-class flight, free lounge access comes with it for free. There is another way to enter the lounge and that is by paying at the entrance when you are flying economy. But the best way to access lounges without flying business class is to have a credit card that provides free lounge passes.

Credit cards use mainly two main lounge programmes to provide free lounge access. One is Priority Pass and the other is Lounge Key MasterCard Airport Experiences. Both of these programmes are owned by the same parent company. Priority Pass has slightly more airports covered than Lounge Key.

One main difference between Priority Pass and LoungeKey is that Priority Pass sells different levels of memberships to the general public, giving free access to certain numbers of free entrances, unlimited entrances, or just the annual membership (each entrance will cost you if you just have the annual membership plan) lounges.

On the other hand, LoungeKey is only available to credit card holders. Depending on your credit cards, you can have just the annual membership, a certain number of free entrances, or unlimited free entrances. You cannot buy LoungeKey; it’s given to you by your credit cards.

I love staying in lounges at airports because it adds a different dimension to your travel experiences. Lounges provide free food, drinks, spa, messages, showers, and some lounges even have a hotel inside and cooks are on standby to create your meals. You can view my lounge experiences across the globe here.

Also, I have a video discussing how to access airport lounges for free and sign up for the LoungeKey program. I will bring you a lot more business-class flight and lounge reviews in the next weeks once my trip to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia starts on Nov 24, 2018. Please subscribe now on my YouTube channel provided above.

Cebu, Jewel of the Philippines

Travel Cebu

Although tourism as an industry suffered from a significant drop in the twelve months from June 2008 to June 2009, it should be noted that there were countries and cities which actually increased the number of visitors during that time – no small achievement in a period when belt-tightening was the order of the day in many people’s estimation. One of the areas to increase its visitor numbers was the Philippine city and larger metropolitan area of Cebu. The Philippines is one of Asia’s largest and most diverse countries, and this makes it attractive to tourists. It hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 1998 and the East Asian Tourism Forum four years later.

Tourists to Cebu can be guaranteed of seeing a city and larger province that has a varied landscape – one moment you can be in the excellent shopping district and the next you are out among leafy parks and public gardens. It is this type of easy, natural variety that makes the city and the province so attractive to so many people. This is not a place that will only appeal to a certain kind of visitor. Shopping is definitely an option for visitors to Cebu, with some wonderful malls neighbouring smaller more specialised stores and providing everything the visitor could wish for. Unlike  many other cities, Cebu does this without looking or being terribly congested or built-up. At the same time it is historic without being anachronistic.

Strange though it may seem Cebu has something in common with Los Angeles – an area going by the name Beverley Hills. While the LA version is home to a great many of the world’s most famous people, Cebu’s version is known more for its Taoist Temple. Set 300 meters above sea level and built as recently as 1972, the Cebu Taoist Temple is an attraction which really should be seen. It is a towering center of worship that is accessible by any one of three meandering routes that take the visitor through trees and other greenery. It is visited by every school student in the area as part of their education, and is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. It is the centerpiece of the city’s tourist industry, but by no means the full extent of it.

There is always plenty to see and do in Cebu city and neighbouring cities and towns and although the journey to get there can take some time from a Western starting point – over a day by air from New York, for example – it is worth it for some of the finest buildings, best shopping and finest dining in Asia. There are numerous five star hotels and resorts to stay in, and beyond the Taoist Temple there are a few national parks as well as excellent beaches. The Basilica Minore del Santo Nino is also worth seeing, as it is home to the oldest religious relic in all of the Philippines. Frankly, there are so many reasons to go to Cebu for a break, it is no wonder the tourist numbers visiting have increased.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on July 24, 2009.

Why Travel Solo?

Going Solo Travel

There is some amount of surprise – possibly even suspicion – that emerges when one tells co-workers and even friends that they are going to be holidaying on their own. The responses tend to vary between pity and unconvincing encouragement of the “good for you” variety. This is clearly misguided in the extreme, because traveling alone can be the very best way to holiday. Rather than thinly veiled pity and other even less wholesome emotions, the correct response to someone holidaying on their own really should be envy – because it means you get the holiday you want with no compromises. Never mind trying to find a break for two, four or more – the solo break is the way to go for the unmarried traveler.

The first thing that a solo break has over traveling with people is the freedom it gives you. If you have always wanted to go to a specific location but have never been able to persuade anyone to go with you, stop trying! They clearly don’t get it, and if they came along then you would spend more time trying to convince them that the city is awesome than enjoying it yourself. By going on your own you can set out an itinerary which fully suits you. Eat in the restaurants you want to eat in, catch the shows you wanted to catch and do all this when you want to. You’re traveling on your own, so you can go according to your own whim and enjoy the ride all the more.

The second point is connected to the first. Simply put, sometimes on holiday you have an instinctive desire to go to a specific place – and this instinct can arrive at the shortest notice. By traveling alone, if you have this kind of whim, you can set off and enjoy yourself without having to convince your companion(s) of the brilliance of your idea. Often when you have discussion about what you want to do, you find yourself sitting there two hours later, only knowing what you don’t want to do. This way, you can have the thought one moment, and be in the cab the next. Surely this beats deciding everything by committee? If you want to change your mind at a moment’s notice, you can. It can make the holiday perfect.

There are also other reasons for going solo. Among these, there is the fact that, if you go somewhere with a different language, the chances that your traveling partner will speak it as well as you do are remote. You will find yourself translating for them, and bound to them in situations where you would prefer a bit of space. And then there is also the fact that may just clinch it – going on holiday solo makes the group holidays better, because it allows you to discover a new place at your own pace and then introduce friends or family on a return trip – where you will be the perfect tour guide. This is really the best way to travel!

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com. This article originally published on the above website on July 10, 2009.