Last week we, well I anyhow, bemoaned the rampant globalization which has spread chain stores and brand names and destroyed a lot of what is special in the world. This week, as guaranteed, we are here to assure you : All that’s special has not been lost. You can still find it, those unique aspects of a place that imbue it with its own special personality.

Over the years, as globalization has squeezed out the mom-and-pop stores, the rough-hewn and the facets of a culture which lead to that uncomfortable shock, travelers have adapted. They have identified what are now fairly good tactics of finding the real folks, the mundane life, and the heart of a place and its folks. In fact , there’s a whole movement, “slow travel,” concentrated on doing precisely that.
Sites on slow travel

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Croatian tourism officially had a record year in 2011, and yet the season is still awfully short. A new survey reveals perceptions of the country from Europeans who’ve never visited. A beautiful coastline, beaches, sea, Yugoslavia and war – these were the most typical replies in a survey about perceptions of Croatia, according to a statement on Tportal.hr, according to a dispatch in the Croatian Times on January 25, 2012.

The survey of 2,574 folks from Germany, UK, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Spain, was overseen by Sinisa Horak from the Institution for Tourism, which asked its target sample what came into their head when the word ‘Croatia ‘ was mentioned. Not one of the respondents had been to Croatia, and approximately twenty percent replied that they could associate nothing with the country.

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New Destinations Vietnam is becoming a travel place for New Zealanders, ranking high on the lists of places to check out this year.

With the frantic big-city vibe of Ho Chi Minh City, the culturally infused charm of Hanoi and laid-back beachy cities like Nha Trang, Vietnam really offers something for any type of holiday.

“We know from our customer research and commentary that Kiwi travellers want destinations that are very dynamic. From poverty to rich, hot to cold, extreme culture shocks with food in addition to being able to immerse themselves into the daily life,” says Mondo’s Gordon Bayne.

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Whole hamlets and more than 40 percent of property in Montenegro belong to Russians, according to an enquiry by Novaya Gazeta.

An enquiry into the possessions of Russia’s dynamic elite by leading Russian daily Novaya Gazeta has led on to the claim that more than 40% of property in Montenegro is owned by Russians, and that there are even complete villages which are one hundred percent Russian owned, according to a piece in Croatia’s Slobodna Dalmacija on January 8, 2012.

Russian Property Invasion Of Montenegro

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When you mention the word ‘holiday’, not every person immediately starts picturing lounging by the pool or sea, beverage in one hand, good book inside the other. There are, of course, a great number of types of vacation that are not largely concerned with or based around, leading up the tan and getting as much Vitamin D in the program as possible.

In fact, some people like to spend as little time as they are able on any form of land whatsoever, preferring instead to take their hard-earned breaks in the form of adventures on the water. And a number of holidaymaker destinations are geared precisely in direction of these aquatic tastes.

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Thirty years ago, Friendly Planet Travel, a leading tour operator that has helped thousands experience high-quality, affordable vacation packages to exotic locations worldwide, began its company as a group pilgrimage operator. In the past, the company has gained extensive experience arranging pilgrimages to exciting spiritual and religious locations. Today, Friendly Planet Travel has expanded beyond the previous itineraries, and is announcing 14 new Catholic pilgrimage programs designed to go beyond the traditional pilgrimage experience. In addition, these new travel programs provide lower pricing that will location these important spiritual activities within reach of many more people.

“We take pride in offering the best program at quality prices, and also this policy applies to our fresh pilgrimage program as well,” says Peggy Goldman, President of Friendly Planet Travel. “Travelers experiencing our pilgrimages will go to the most sacred Catholic holy sites and Marian shrines in the world. Plus, our own programs will travel off the beaten path and to the picturesque towns along the countryside, exposing travelers to the ethnic, artistic, and historical attractions within these regions. Excellent exchange rates and land price ranges have allowed us to supply superior accommodations, itineraries, and solutions at a price among the lowest in the marketplace without compromising on good quality. This is what differentiates our applications from others.”

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The world has a lot of interesting places to visit, including areas like Dalmatia, Croatia. Before jetting off, it is a good idea to make sure that everything is in order. Planning is usually the critical for a great vacation.

For many people, especially those traveling outside the confines of Europe, getting the appropriate records might an issue. It is important to pop this in the bud through seeing if one will require a visa to travel there. This can be highly important in order for one to work through immigration control. Also be certain that one’s passport is up to date.

There might be a lot of great deals when it comes to looking for plane tickets. There are several sites out there today which are dedicated to helping vacationers find the most low cost plane tickets possible, so it is important to look around the Internet and see where one can get these. Year and season are also going to affect the levels of price.

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The last time my path crossed with that of Maggie Thatcher was on board Cunard’s QE2, when she joined a Royal reception to mark the ship’s 40th birthday, and I’m not convinced she is the best marketing tool for vacation cruises.

Others may think differently, and also both Swan Hellenic and Voyages involving Discovery are linking the making of the biopic The Iron Girl to their formidable line-up of guest speakers.

Former Foreign Assistant Douglas (now Lord) Hurd, who dished up in Maggie’s Cabinet, will be travelling on board the newly-refurbished Minerva for a 15-night cruise trip in the Adriatic. As he was in workplace during the protracted wars which took Yugoslavia apart in the early 1990s, he could have something appropriate to convey when the ship calls on the Croatian ports of Dubrovnik, Korcula, Split and also Pula, and the Montenegran city of Kotor.

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Split has an excellent record of collecting and caring for monuments. This interest appeared as early as the Renaissance.

At the beginning of the XVIth century, a collection of Antique stone epitaphs was stored in the home of the Split nobleman Dmino Papalic (today’s City Museum) and they were described in one of his friend’s, Marko Marulic’s, tracts.

The Archbishop’s Museum was founded by mid-XVIIIth century, and in 1820 the Archeological Museum, the oldest Croatian Museum.

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