With ancient ruins, Biblical sites, and old architectural wonders, shore excursions in Ephesus lean heavily toward exploring the history of the city. Indeed, Ephesus has an exciting mix of ancient, cultural, and scenic sites. With its location on the coast of Ionia near Turkey, Ephesus offers many active daily excursions. Visitors will also find unique arts and crafts, shopping, and dining. While most cruise lines offer similar tours, travelers can book directly from an independent shore excursion company to snag a better price and beat the crowds. Here’s a sampling of unique, private, and affordable Ephesus shore excursions. The Ancient City With comfortable shoes and a nice sun hat, visitors to the ancient city of Ephesus can explore the area’s glorious temples and cultural sites, many of which date back…

Posted by Phin Upham Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city, and it features an UNESCO World Heritage site at its center. With a Mediterranean climate, Istanbul is a modern city with roots in biblical times. The densely populated city offers pockets of beauty with amazing views and fine dining. If you’re lucky enough to get a five or more days in the city, here are some thoughts on what to do with your time. Galata Tower Galata Tower offers one of the finest views in Turkey from a tower that overlooks the city and the Bosphorus river running through it. An elevator takes visitors part way and a short walk up two flights of stairs leads to a beautiful vista. A restaurant at the top gives seekers a chance to admire…

Grand Cayman Island is a great vacation destination for families. The largest of the three islands, Grand Cayman offers everything from water sports to great food and live music. Whether you’re going with young children, the elderly, or the entire clan, there is something for everyone on this beautiful island located in the Western Caribbean. But how do you make sure everyone in the family has fun without splitting up? Here’s how to make sure everyone in the family gets to enjoy an island getaway at the same time. Rent a car. While active adults might enjoy walking, young children, the elderly, and other people might not be able to walk to and from every spot on the island. To make sure that everyone has a good time, rent a…

Posted by Phin Upham Once of the most beautiful places to see in Northern Ireland are the Mourne Mountains, also called the Mournes. If you’ve never been there before, it’s worth reading about the beauty of the area. In the article “In the Kingdom of Mourne,” Eric Weinberger takes a trip to the Mournes. He’s on the hunt for the perfect view, and ends up finding one by hiking on foot. The article describes the lure of the granite-covered hills as well as the many beautiful places in the same area. While on his journey, Weinberger discovers the ancient Kingdom of Mourne. He writes about the various ways to get there, including the best way if you plan on going by car. He discovers Rostrevor, a little village in the…

Timeshare has gotten a bad rep over the years, but it could be a good value if you are regular traveler. Here are some things you can do to avoid timeshare scams: Don’t ever, ever buy (or sell) ‘on the spot.’ Sleep on it, and take the time to evaluate whether the deal is a good one. If you are offered a prize as an incentive, read the ‘fine print’ on the prize, and DON’T PAY for anything. Read the contract and have it reviewed by an attorney. If the sales person promised you something that’s not in the contract, don’t sign the contract! If the presentation is too high pressure, leave. You have every right to leave when you want. Simply stand up and politely say ‘thank you very…

Italy is a renowned tourist destination with millions of tourists visiting it annually. People take Italy tours for various reasons. Some come in for religious pilgrimage, some come to see the many monuments and artefacts some of which are housed in the many museums of Italy, while others visit Italy for honeymoon and family vacations. Regardless of the reason for visiting Italy, all visitors stand equal chances of enjoying a blend of history and sophistication. Italy has a myriad of tourist attractions that will meet and surpass the expectations of its many tourists. Visitors can organize their itinerary in such a way that they can sample the various attractions found in the adjacent cities of Italy. Newlyweds are not left behind. They too can get a chance of enjoying their…

Posted by: Phin Upham In the article “Before There Was Paradise,” John Tayman writes about the forgotten history of the island of Molokai. According to the article, for a little over 100 years the government used the island as a place to send people who had leprosy. It describes the reasons why the Hawaiian and American governments would send more than 8,000 people to a remote place like Molokai. They thought leprosy was extremely contagious, isolation was the only way to control the disease, and that the people they sent there were doomed to die anyway. However, the governments were wrong on all three counts. The article describes the story of the way people were sent to the island to live in brutal conditions. Over the years many writers, celebrity…

By Phin Upham Are you ready to explore the Italian coast? In a recent article in The New York Times, writer Liesl Schillinger revisits an area in Italy that was hit hard with torrential rainfall two years ago. The place is Cinque Terre, a strip of coast on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of Italy. If you’ve never been there before this article is a great introduction, revealing how locals recovered after the storm and why it’s such a popular tourist destination. As a result of the torrential rains two years ago, nearly every business in the village of Vernazza was destroyed and the village of Monterosso was flooded. One woman happened to get the entire storm on film. In the article, Schillinger happens to meet this native…

Florence is considered a renaissance town owing to its many ruins and remains. Visitors taking Florence tours can visit the pallazio, the dome, the Vecchio Bridge, and the galleria. These awesome medieval structures affords visitors a unique opportunity of recreating the past that once stood in the town of Florence. It is a city that bleeds history and you can feel it just standing there. Florence has numerous attractions that would appeal to the dreams of any art historian. The Museums and galleries have works of renowned artists such as Michelangelo. Lovers of photography can take awesome snapshots of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge while shoppers can also sample from some of the best designer shops found in Florence. There are so many things to do and there is something for…