Urban Hip

Luxurious hotels, resorts, business and holiday rentals, exotic excursions and discovery packages available for anywhere in the world can be found at your finger-tips today. Travelling has never been easier. In the 17th century they began improving the quality of the roads, by 1605 there were carriages available for hire like tax cabs and by 1650 they had traffic jams. If you've ever been stranded in an airport you've probably wondered what it was like (maybe it was actually better) in the 17th and 18th century - or at least back when when traveling was slower, by horse, train, boat or early model cars and planes. Of course there were a lot fewer people traveling then, only the wealthy could afford it.

Today almost anyone can circle the globe and see the most exotic and wonderous places and people. But is it all that it's cracked up to be? We talk about being bitten by the travel bug, wonderlust and the magic of going abroad, but when you get there how long is it until you start to miss the comfort of your own bed, your favorite book and a cup of tea, a beer with friends to watch the game, puttering in the garden or the smell of a roast cooking in the kitchen?

Travelling can be wonderful but there are two types of travellers; the young (I'll sleep anywhere and eat whatever the locals are having) adventurer, and the mature (I want fluffy clean linen and good wine with my dinner) visitor. I am certainly in the mature visitor category but I can still remember what it was like to think that "being there" was all that mattered; that the more you became one of the locals, the more "real" the experience would be. Now I tend to search out the nicest hotels in the center of town so I can "observe" more than "live" the experience. I accept that I am merely a visitor, happy to be allowed into the lives of the locals just long enough, to see people and places as they really are. I no longer feel the need to try and experience a place as if I have always lived there, rather I am content if the locals accept me for what I am, someone from away, and feel comfortable enough to carry on as they normally would, and let me watch and interact with them on my own terms.

This change in perspective began for me when my husband and I had a six hour stop-over between flights at an airport in Europe. It was one of the best airports in the world and it wasn't as if our flight had been cancelled or we hadn't planned on having to be there, yet still, it was miserable. It was the middle of the night (our time) and we needed to sleep. We were lucky enough to find two very rare, lounge-type chairs to sleep on. We dare not leave them unattended for a minute or they wold be taken. We took turns going to the public bathroom and washing up. We took turns stretching our legs and going to buy food or drink. We tried to sleep amidst noise and confusion, fading in and out of conciousness. My husband developed a migrane and I felt like I was sleep-walking. By the time our flight arrived and we boarded the plane, the cramped little cabin seat without enough leg-room, the tiny bathroom and the tiny food trays all seemed wonderful because we knew we were one short flight from the hotel room with the fluffy linen, the hot shower, and the glorious dining room for after we woke up from a deep sleep. Ahhh, how delightful, don't you just love travelling, as your head hits that nice, clean, soft pillow.

But hold on, it's not supposed to be about the hotel room, its about the experience, the adventure, the wonder of new, undiscovered places and people. And that's right, it is about those things, but only if you are feeling rested and well enought to enjoy them. I'm not sure what my parent's generation thought about travelling but my generation has turned it into a political statement; to be tollerant and socially permissive (read; I'll sleep anywhere because my ego-centric, comfort level doesn't matter) or, to be conservative, afraid or elitist (read; I need the safety and comfort of a nice, familiar hotel room). When the reality is, it's quite reasonable to want both the "real" experience and the "creature comforts". I can be a non-partisan traveller if I want to be!

More and more people are choosing to rent a condominium or apartment in locations as convenient as the best hotels with the advantage of having many of the comforts of home. With lower costs it means you can stay longer and because it's really a-home-away-from-home you can start to feel more like you are in fact one of the locals and experience what its like to actually live their; enhancing the travel experience.

And the truth is that's exactly what many travellers over the age of 30 are doing. They stay in four star condo's or rental villas close to everything, where they can stroll through the action, participating when invited or just observing the going's-on, like the tourists they are. When you stop to think about it, it isn't so much different then being at home with friends and family, doing the things you like to do, in the familiar way you like to do it; we're only here for a while, we seek out our creature comforts, our favorite chair, our favorite pair of old jeans, and we observe most of what goes on around us; participating when invited into other people lives and just watching the wonders of the world go by like a tourist the rest of the time.

Urban Hip
Home Contact Site Map Excursions Excursions pg 1 \| Excursions pg 2 \| Excursions pg 3 \| Excursions pg 4 \| Excursions pg 5 \| Excursions pg 6


The Urban Hip Travel The new urban-hotel lifestyle for the modern traveler Luxurious hotels, resorts, business and holiday rentals, exotic excursions and discovery packages available for anywhere in the world can be found at your finger-tips today. Travelling has never been easier. In the 17th century they began improving the quality of the roads, by 1605 there were carriages available for hire like tax cabs and by 1650 they had traffic jams. If you've ever been stranded in an airport you've probably wondered what it was like (maybe it was actually better) in the 17th and 18th century - or at least back when when traveling was slower, by horse, train, boat or early model cars and planes. Of course there were a lot fewer people traveling then, only the wealthy could afford it. Today almost anyone can circle the globe and see the most exotic and wonderous places and people. But is it all that it's cracked up to be? We talk about being bitten by the travel bug, wonderlust and the magic of going abroad, but when you get there how long is it until you start to miss the comfort of your own bed, your favorite book and a cup of tea, a beer with friends to watch the game, puttering in the garden or the smell of a roast cooking in the kitchen? Travelling can be wonderful but there are two types of travellers; the young (I'll sleep anywhere and eat whatever the locals are having) adventurer, and the mature (I want fluffy clean linen and good wine with my dinner) visitor. I am certainly in the mature visitor category but I can still remember what it was like to think that "being there" was all that mattered; that the more you became one of the locals, the more "real" the experience would be. Now I tend to search out the nicest hotels in the center of town so I can "observe" more than "live" the experience. I accept that I am merely a visitor, happy to be allowed into the lives of the locals just long enough, to see people and places as they really are. I no longer feel the need to try and experience a place as if I have always lived there, rather I am content if the locals accept me for what I am, someone from away, and feel comfortable enough to carry on as they normally would, and let me watch and interact with them on my own terms. This change in perspective began for me when my husband and I had a six hour stop-over between flights at an airport in Europe. It was one of the best airports in the world and it wasn't as if our flight had been cancelled or we hadn't planned on having to be there, yet still, it was miserable. It was the middle of the night (our time) and we needed to sleep. We were lucky enough to find two very rare, lounge-type chairs to sleep on. We dare not leave them unattended for a minute or they wold be taken. We took turns going to the public bathroom and washing up. We took turns stretching our legs and going to buy food or drink. We tried to sleep amidst noise and confusion, fading in and out of conciousness. My husband developed a migrane and I felt like I was sleep-walking. By the time our flight arrived and we boarded the plane, the cramped little cabin seat without enough leg-room, the tiny bathroom and the tiny food trays all seemed wonderful because we knew we were one short flight from the hotel room with the fluffy linen, the hot shower, and the glorious dining room for after we woke up from a deep sleep. Ahhh, how delightful, don't you just love travelling, as your head hits that nice, clean, soft pillow. But hold on, it's not supposed to be about the hotel room, its about the experience, the adventure, the wonder of new, undiscovered places and people. And that's right, it is about those things, but only if you are feeling rested and well enought to enjoy them. I'm not sure what my parent's generation thought about travelling but my generation has turned it into a political statement; to be tollerant and socially permissive (read; I'll sleep anywhere because my ego-centric, comfort level doesn't matter) or, to be conservative, afraid or elitist (read; I need the safety and comfort of a nice, familiar hotel room). When the reality is, it's quite reasonable to want both the "real" experience and the "creature comforts". I can be a non-partisan traveller if I want to be! More and more people are choosing to rent a condominium or apartment in locations as convenient as the best hotels with the advantage of having many of the comforts of home. With lower costs it means you can stay longer and because it's really a-home-away-from-home you can start to feel more like you are in fact one of the locals and experience what its like to actually live their; enhancing the travel experience. And the truth is that's exactly what many travellers over the age of 30 are doing. They stay in four star condo's or rental villas close to everything, where they can stroll through the action, participating when invited or just observing the going's-on, like the tourists they are. When you stop to think about it, it isn't so much different then being at home with friends and family, doing the things you like to do, in the familiar way you like to do it; we're only here for a while, we seek out our creature comforts, our favorite chair, our favorite pair of old jeans, and we observe most of what goes on around us; participating when invited into other people lives and just watching the wonders of the world go by like a tourist the rest of the time.		What is home exchange? My website is a marketplace for non-commercial home exchange. You stay in their home while they stay in yours. Save thousands of dollars/euros on your next vacation. Visit our site for more information. Choose the luxury of an elegant Jamaican home at Franklyn D. Resort and Spa in Runaway Bay or the barefoot informality of Pebbles in Falmouth, at either all-inclusive resort on Jamaica's sunny, sandy, north coast, you will have three holidays in one - one for adult guests, one for kids, and one for all the family. More than 100 hotels in 17 countries and more than 18.000 employees in the best beaches of the world. The final price, without surprises. All costs and taxes are included. Let us pamper you. Quality and service prized by our customers. At RIU we care about the environment. We are aware of our activity's direct impact on the environment and therefore attempt to minimize it through a number of different initiatives in the following areas: energy, water, waste, paper, noise management and environmental awareness. Tours4Fun strives to make itself the ultimate online travel superstore with the widest selection and best prices. Our current products include tours and vacation packages in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, South & Central America, Africa and the Middle East. We guarantee that you will enjoy our premier quality services. At isango!, we are committed to offering you with the best value at all times and we work very hard to achieve this by keeping an eagle eye on the market prices. We guarantee that we will always provide you with the lowest cost, highest quality experiences. We are obsessed with offering the widest possible range of destinations and activities because we respect your freedom of choice and we provide accurate information, not just brochures or random reviews. Welcome to the world of Barceló Hotels & Resorts. More than 130 hotels in 15 countries await you. Finding the best option for your next holiday or business trip couldn’t be easier. Simply use one of the 3 alternative search options we offer, by theme, using our interactive map or using our alphabetically and geographically organized list. Other Travel Goodies! Before Call in Europe, travelers had few choices in maintaining their cell phone service while abroad. They could use their own GSM-compatible phone (if they had one), and their U.S.-based plan, and pay exorbitant international roaming fees and surcharges. They could rent a GSM phone and pay the extremely high rental rates and expensive per-minute calling charges. Or, they could buy a costly prepaid phone card and deal with complex instructions, restrictions and time limitations. Now, Call in Europe makes it easy and affordable for travelers to Europe to enjoy their trip, stay connected and pay the same low rates for cell service as Europeans do. Phonerental Inc. is one of the market leaders in temporary cellular and satellite phone rentals, providing cell phones for use all over the U.S. with country wide coverage and no roaming or long distance charges. For your travel abroad, Phonerental Inc. has GSM cellular phone rentals, with coverage in America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands. Our RFID Blocking Wallets ensure that cards with RFID tags within the wallet can NOT be read while the wallet is closed. This gives you the ability to control when, how and by whom your cards are accessed. To allow the RFID tag in the card to be read, simply open the wallet and direct it towards the reader. Our products are lab certified by the United States GSA for protecting RFID cards used by the Military.

Home Contact Site Map Excursions

Excursions pg 1 | Excursions pg 2 | Excursions pg 3 | Excursions pg 4 | Excursions pg 5 | Excursions pg 6

The Urban Hip Travel

The new urban-hotel lifestyle for the modern traveler