Your November Travel Guide for 2016 is Here

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Are you planning a trip this winter time? How about getting some inspirations for a trip in the offing? undecided of the destination or simply looking for a short getaway this coming holidays? What ever the reason may be, your November Travel Guide is loaded with plenty of prime destinations to visit.

Check it out!

These offers are valid up to 29 November 2016.

October Travel Guide

Hello October! It's pretty cool now and the influx of travellers last summer are all back to their regular day-to-day lives. Now's the perfect time to enjoy a cool travel before the cold months creep in.

So, if you're planning to enjoy a cool weather getaway this October, check out this month's Travel Guide for you.

OCTOBER TRAVEL GUIDE

Tokyo, Japan It Is!

My family and I have zeroed in on our family trip destination this December - Tokyo, Japan! Finally, after countless times of revising the budget and all. The Europe tour will be too costly and if we go to Japan, we will spend only a small fraction of the amount the whole Europe tour will cost. So, it was a fair and wise decision made.

I have practically skipped major trips this year except for the Niagara vacation last March/April to ensure that we will have enough budget to go around for the December family vacation. It is my daughter's wish to travel to Europe before she goes back home for her college schooling but the whole thing is just too expensive. I'm glad that even if we won't see the Christmas Markets in Europe this year, she will be able to visit her dream studio of anime films - Studio Ghibli! I am excited too as I watch most of their film works and they are all great.

So there, it will Japan this time. Perhaps we can save more next time for a European tour. It's been a long time since we set foot in Europe but I guess, being pragmatic is more important to us. Anyway, I'll be checking some items in my bucket list even if we go to Japan this year.

Here we come, Japan!

Tennis Events In Dubai To Watch

When you hear Dubai, you think of the magnificent infrastructures lining up the cosmopolitan are of Sheik Zayed Road, the huge and lavish malls burgeoning in the city, the well-manicured street plants adorning the pavements and islands, the man-made residential village called The Palm and the vast sandy desert that changes in color when you travel to the other Emirates. Surely, Dubai is very famous for those things but did you know that aside from those mega-infrastructure this place boasts of, it also hosts the biggest and well-known sporting events in the tennis world. 

One of the famous and well-celebrated tennis competitions is being held in Dubai annually. The Dubai Tennis Championships or now known as the Dubai Duty Free Men's and Women's Open attract a huge number of spectators from all over the world to watch their favorite tennis legends.

This tennis event is an open court competition held at the Dubai Tennis Stadium next to the Aviation Club. Tennis enthusiasts all over the world come to Dubai to enjoy the sporting event. Since this event falls during the winter season, watching it al fresco surely adds to the convivial spirit of the sports fans.

The world's famous tennis players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Justin Hardenne and to name a few,  have all graced the sporting event and more powerhouse will join this tennis open next year.

Sports enthusiasts who wish to visit Dubai may plan their trip ahead since the Dubai Duty Free Open happens during the Dubai Shopping Festival that sees millions of travelers around the world. It falls during end of February to first week of March. Flights and hotel accommodations may be hard to obtain if you plan last minute. Also, do not worry about not bringing your tennis racket when you have the urge to let that sporty persona come to light. There are plenty of sporting goods in Dubai where you can find tennis rackets for perfect holidays situation.

Sporty travelers will surely find this tennis event experience a check on their bucket list!

Tour Cebu - For My Second Trip!

I have long dreamt of taking a Cebu tour or two so that I can see all of the hidden beauties within the area. I had been to Cebu three years ago and I loved the time that I got to spend there, but I did not get to see all of the things that I knew were scattered around the island. I have begun planning my second trip and will be going on the options to tour Cebu that I have read about.

The one tour that I know that I have to go on is the bike tour. I really enjoy getting out into the open air on a bike and I think that getting to explore the off grid areas of the island will be awesome as an itinerary in a Cebu tour. I have to try to decide how long of a tour I want to take. They are offered in short trips that will only take a day, but they also offer multiple day trips lasting as long as thirteen days. I know that I will not go as long as thirteen days, but more than one might be nice.

I would also like to go on a city tour. I did not get to see much of the city when I was there last. I had a hotel that was right on the beach and I spent much of my time soaking up the sun and enjoying the sandy beach that was just footsteps from my room. I have read about some of the attractions that are to be enjoyed within the city and would love to explore many of them. The place that I would like to see most in the city is Taoist Temple and other must have and must experience Cebu tour. I look forward to shopping the different stores and collecting many souvenirs from the shops.

Once I have had my taste of the city, a countryside tour sounds perfect. Spending a day viewing stone churches, town plazas and bell towers as well as the other architecture built during the Spanish era would be quite memorable. I can already picture myself wondering though the area with my camera capturing images that many people only dream of seeing in person.

Lastly, I must go on the waterfall adventure. I look forward to making my way through the mountains, climbing my way up big hills to catch a glimpse of the Kawasan Falls so that I can feel the water spritzing my face as I stand in awe at one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful creations. I would love to enjoy a nice picnic lunch just before taking a swim in the cool, crystal blue waters below the falls.

Very few things in this world are as beautiful to me as the wonders that this world has to offer me. I have read that many of the beautiful things that I want to see are within the different Cebu tour that I am considering. I will make memories that will be held dear to me for as long as I live and breathe.

Istanbul - The City in Two Continents

Photo credit: copyright www.riatravelbug.blogspot.com

Istanbul is a beautiful city in Turkey. It lies on the Bosphorus Strait and stretches on both the European (Thrace) and Asian (Anatolia) side of this strait. It is the only city in the world that lies in two continents.

We visited Istanbul in October 2002. It was actually our first European trip. We applied directly at the Turkish Consulate in Dubai at The World Trade Center. The visa application was not a tedious process unlike the Schengen and US visa we have applied for in the past. We went in the morning to submit our documents and the interviewer only asked us one question. I forgot what the staff asked but I vividly recall what he said next. He told us to collect our passports the next day. That was it. We were given a week-long visa validity to enter Turkey.

We only stayed for 3 days and 2 nights and booked our accommodation in Madison Hotel in Istanbul. It is a 4-star property located in Taksim area close to Taksim Square, Topkapi Palace and other tourist attractions.

I got a good deal on the hotel because of my travel agent status then. My husband and I flew to Istanbul via Singapore Airlines (and I loved their service! The flight attendants made us feel very special even if we were in economy class) during the airline's promotional travel deals. Since I was an assigned staff in the Singapore Airlines counter, our ticketing head office left a message to the tour operators in Istanbul to give me and my husband a free return airport transfer. The airline fare was also a steal because I only paid around US$160 for both of us and that was Dubai-Istanbul-Dubai! Talk about the perks of being a travel agent!

I'll talk about the hotel and other places of interest on my other blog post later on. Meanwhile, here are some of the few photos we had in Istanbul. Unfortunately, we only had few snaps because our very unreliable digital camera had to malfunction during our trip.

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

My hubby posing in Taksim Square near the tram track