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Whale watching is gaining in popularity each and every year. Seeing these large majestic animals in their home environment is an aweseom experience and one that will thrill everyone.

The Glass House Mountains and the spectacular countryside aren’t the only attractions of a Sunshine Coast holiday just north of Brisbane, Australia. Another viewing adventure is nearby. Just off the coast in the crystal blue Pacific waters another adventure awaits. Every year from
June to November more than 9000 humpback whales make the journey northward from Antarctica and winter in the warm
waters off Queensland.

Getting to see a humpback whale is one of nature’s most amazing experiences. These creatures are giants. Humpbacks are the world’s fifth largest whale, and they are beautiful to behold. The humpback whale can be nearly seven times the size of an African elephant. But he humpbacks aren’t
content to merely allow you to watch them. Humpbacks like to entertain their fans. You can see and hear a fascinating show. Whales have as many as 40 different tones, and while you’re listening to the symphony you can watch them soar out of the water before crashing back and diving below, leaving turbulent seas in their wake.

Researchers studying the humpback whale have learned that the whales have a complex method of communication, and some scientists even believe they have a level of intelligence on par with that of humans. Evidence of this can be seen as well has heard, particularly in the care mothers give to their young. Some of these wondrous sites unfold so close it seems just an arm’s length away. Imagine being so close to a whale blow that you can feel the spray. Imagine being able to look into the eyes of such a massive and magnificent creature.

Humpback whales may have the lead roles in the show, but they aren’t the only performers. Dolphins are also stars of the pageant, and they are not at all shy. Imagine seeing a whale interacting with a group of dolphins. Sharks and turtles often make more than a mere cameo appearance, and this fantastic aquatic cabaret unfolds in the Sunshine Coast’s brilliant waters - waters warm enough for swimming year round.

Another type of whale can also be spotted taking a Sunshine Coast holiday and presents a rare treat. Those embarking on humpback whale watching tours occasionally see white whales. These beautiful creatures are unforgettable. Yet as magical as an appearance of a white whale may seem, nothing can upstage the humpbacks themselves.
Whale watching wasn’t always the main interaction between humans and whales. In fact, only in recent years has whale watching become a popular activity. As recently as the 1960s whales were slaughtered by the thousands.  The whales seem to understand that times have changed, and they are becoming more and more accustomed to the sight of adoring fans in whale watching boats. Whereas once the whales once
might have fled oncoming vessels, they now seem attracted to the boats full of adoring fans.

Before venturing out into the azure blue waters on your Sunshine Coast holiday,it’s best to plan a head. Whale watching is becoming more and more popular every season, and the tours fill quickly. You don’t want to miss this grand opportunity.
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Roger Laganin runs ocean front accommodation at the Catalina Resort, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia where you can enjoy your Sunshine Coast holiday. Find out about their special deals for a limited time only at =>http://www.catalinaresort.com.au

Much like music, a good or great movie can inspire us in so many ways.

Movies shape how we see the world. Movies also shape the world we expect to see when we go out into it. Few things inspire us to travel like a well chosen backdrop. It paints romantic visions in our heads, visions that often linger for years.

Sometimes the reality of a place matches or exceeds our vision, and sometimes it falters. In the end, anything that inspires us to travel, to break the bonds of the everyday, is a force for positive change.

Here are a few films, old and new, that have inspired me to travel or that kept me sane between journeys. I hope they do the same for you.

The Mosquito Coast (1986) - Based on the bestselling novel by Paul Theroux. Disgruntled inventor Harrison Ford takes his family to the jungles of Central America to found a town and goes insane in the process. Filmed in the lush, steamy jungles of southern Belize, the film and the book inspired me to travel to Nicaragua’s Mosquito Coast back in 2000.

The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) - The most accurate film I’ve ever seen on Mongolia’s south Gobi region. Apart from a few minor scenes, the film was shot by following the day to day lives of a family of nomads. As luck would have it, the filmmakers arrived during the camel birthing season. A natural drama ensued when a mother camel rejected its calf, endangering the life of the newborn creature. The reconciliation between the two camels, brought about by a traditional shamanic ceremony, is one of the most moving scenes ever set to film.

The Tempest (1982) - A little-known film by John Cassavettes, starring a very young Molly Ringwald, Susan Sarandon, and Raul Julia. The Tempest is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, filmed on a stunning Greek island in the Ionian Sea. I first saw this back when cable TV was new, during a free weekend preview of the movie channel. It had me dreaming Mediterranean dreams long before I was old enough to know where the Mediterranean was.

Mountains of the Moon (1990) - Based on the life of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton. Burton spoke some 29 languages and dialects, was a prolific writer and translator, and one of the greatest explorers and travelers of all time. He was the first European to enter the Ethiopian city of Harare, was co-discoverer of the source of the Nile, and was one of the few foreigners ever to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in disguise. Burton was also a master of the sword. On one expedition he fought off an attack by Somali tribesman that saw him wounded through the mouth by a spear, the scars of which are visible in all his later photographs. Whenever I begin to feel like I’ve accomplished something, Burton’s
example puts me to shame.

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset (1995/2004) - The quintessential traveler’s films, Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset perfectly capture the feeling of the all-consuming road romance. They go further in considering what would happen if we said ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’ at that one crucial juncture that could change the course of our lives. Set in Vienna and Paris (respectively), both films are steeped in Old Europe’s streets, and they capture those rambling traveler’s conversations better than any other film I know.

Summer Lovers (1982) - Every guy’s Mediterranean dream - a summer-long threesome on a beautiful Greek island. It’s a film about freedom, individualism, charting your own course and creating your own personal morality. It explores what it’s like to completely let go of the preconceived, immersing yourself totally in the present. Stunning scenery and an absence of tan lines make this classic a winner.

High Road to China (1983) - A little known and vastly underrated film by Tom Selleck. This film captures the spirit of high adventure and stubborn independence, and includes jaw-drop footage of Central Asia and the Himalayas. Plus, it’s got biplanes in it. Who wouldn’t want to rip around the world in one of those?

The Lover (1992) - Lush scenery of French colonial era Vietnam circa 1929: crumbling moss-eaten architecture, exotic street scenes, slow lazy ceiling fans, and lines of afternoon light casting rectangles of shadow through slatted wooden blinds. The film reminds us that sometimes those blinds also conceal illicit pleasures. You can almost feel the heat and humidity steam through the lens. And the heat between the main characters doesn’t hurt either… The Lover perfectly captures the feeling of old Hanoi.

The Dreamers (2003) - A shocking coming of age story set in Paris in the turbulent summer of 1968. A young American exchange student goes to the decadent City of Lights to study French, where he falls into a bizarre love triangle with a brother and sister and is drawn into their strange, sheltered world. Though controversial when it was released, the film is oddly enchanting rather than lewd, and it conveys a vivid sense of what Paris must have felt like during that turbulent summer of riots when social norms were shattered.

Lost in Translation (2003) - This film portrays the dazzling disorientation of Tokyo and the loneliness and exhaustion of culture shock better than any I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of the many times I’ve been cast adrift on a hostile shore, and it brought back so many vivid memories of everything that’s surreal about Tokyo, where.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) - Based on the posthumously published diary of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, the film chronicles his coming of age journey through South America. Shot on location in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. I read the original book of Guevara’s travel journals years ago, and feared the film would be an overblown foreshadowing of the world figure he would later become. That wasn’t the case. The movie stayed true to the road trip lark of the book, complete with the sort of South American scenery that’ll have you lacing up your hiking
boots before the credits begin to roll.

The English Patient (1996) - Romance and archaeology in the Sahara desert in an age when high adventure was still a possibility, and when parts of the globe remained undiscovered. The film contains stunning desert footage, and was based on the real-life search for the lost city of Zezura. Yes, it’s a bit of a chick flick, but if you love the desert you only have to switch off the sound and feast on the imagery.

So that’s it. Twelve picks to inspire wanderlust and Vagabond Dreams.

What are your special travel films? I’d love to hear about them.

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Ryan Murdock’s pursuit of travel literature has taken him to some of the world’s most unforgiving places, including Mongolia, Tibet, Nicaragua, and North Korea, by Russian jeep, motorcycle, dugout canoe, horse and camel. Please visit http://www.ryanmurdock.com to learn more about his adventures and to follow his Road Wisdom blog.

more room, more space are a just a few of the many advantages of renting a vacation home or condo for your golf trip, not to mention the cost is usually much less and their is room for the sticks and a poker table to boot.

If you are planning a golf trip to Florida an Orlando vacation villa can offer you several advantages over a hotel room. However, before discussing these, there are many reasons why Florida is attractive to golfers, and Orlando in particular - particular if you are married with
children.

If you are keen on golf, and can think of no better way to spend your annual vacation than on a golf course, there is nothing to hold you back - except your partner and the children. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, statistics show that one partner frequently does not have
the passion for the game of the other, and that the children can place a great strain on couples at vacation time.

What can you do when one half wants to get out on the golf course and the other half does not? Not only that, but if the kids want to do something else - you have absolutely no chance of swinging a golf club, unless you are to pay for it with silence for the next few months.  That’s where Orlando comes into the equation.

Be honest with your partner and family and you will feel a lot better.  Argue between a golfing holiday or a family vacation and you will lose - or if you win, you don’t really win, and you know it. So be honest.  Do a deal.  You will all go to Florida - to Orlando, and they can visit Disney World and go shopping while you go golfing.  Not only that, but you won’t stay in a sterile hotel, but in a beautiful Orlando vacation villa where the kids can each have their own bedroom.

Stress to them the option:  a hotel where either the kids share your room, or they have their own room at great cost, and the two of you won’t know what they are getting up to.  You will worry about it, and your vacation will be the less enjoyable because of it. The menu will be limited to what is on the hotel menu, and won’t be able to drink too much in the evening because of the prices.

Then offer the alternative. An Orlando vacation villa with a bedroom for each of the kids with their own bathroom.  A private pool and Jacuzzi, wide screen TV and DVD player, and even a games console. Their very own kitchen, so that they can cook their own steaks, make their own burgers or just rustle up some supper at night before bed. Supermarket drinks at supermarket prices, so you can sit and relax by
the pool at night. They visit Disney, and you go golfing.

You can explain that it’s not wasted, because you need some work on your drive and your swing, and you can sign up for some lessons at the Brad Brewer Golf Academy. Even the kids can get lessons and start to learn the game, and you will look after them while your partner goes shopping. That’s what you call compromise, when you both bend a little to the benefit of both of you and the children win all the way
through.

That’s one way of getting a golfing vacation in Orlando. The other is if you both enjoy golf, and that is the ideal situation.  Even then, a holiday villa makes more sense than a hotel, partially because of the independence and privacy it gives you and partially for price.  Independence
in that you can eat at any time, and not only when the restaurant is open. Privacy because you are not sharing your space with strangers:  you can do your own tidying up and cleaning, as many prefer to do, and you can relax by yourself.

Price can also be relevant, particularly if there are more than two of you. Three hotel rooms can cost significantly more than one Orlando vacation villa that can sleep up to six or more, and the villa offers you all the home entertainment that a hotel can, and then more. You don’t
share your pool with 200 others in your villa, and you don’t pay bar prices for your drinks as you relax poolside watching the sun go down.

Without a doubt, Orlando is a great place for golfers that need somewhere to interest the other half of their family. If you choose an Orlando vacation villa as your accommodation, there is no need for anybody to lounge about a golf complex while their partner receives coaching or
plays a round, but they can take advantage of everything that Orlando has to offer them and the children.

Not just Disney World, but also the Titanic Exhibition, Boggy Creek and World of Orchids, and they can even go ballooning. There is much more to Orlando than just Mickey Mouse!

If you are hankering for a tour of Europe and enjoy sipping Red and White, you should consider the Calabria region of southern Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea. Calabria is the toe of the Italian boot. There are excellent tourist attractions. While you won’t have to fight crowds, you may have to fight hot, hot summers. This article examines southern Calabria. Be sure to read our companion article on northern Calabria.

Beautiful, relatively undiscovered Tropea lies between the gulfs of Sant’Eufemia and Gioa overlooking the sea. You’ll love its untamed white sandy beaches, old houses, and ancient churches. Its Norman Cathedral displays unexploded U.S. World War II bombs that bear a note of thanks to the Madonna. Near the main square is the medieval Santa Maria della Isola church and monastery. Tropea’s most (in)famous
citizen, Umberto Anastasio, aka Alberto Anastasia, a leader of Murder, Incorporated died in a hail of bullets in New York City.

Reggio di Calabria is Calabria’s oldest and largest city. It hosts the National Museum of Greater Greece, a very important archeological museum. Look for the two statues of bearded warriors. The famous poet Gabriele D’Annunzio called the seaside Falcomata promenade the most beautiful
kilometer in Italy. Make sure not to miss the old city’s Greek walls and Roman baths. Other sights include the church of Saint Gaetano Catanoso, the Venetian-style Villa Zerbi and the Town Art Gallery.   The mile-high Aspromonte mountain range has a spectacular view. You can find a ski
resort at Gambarie east of Reggio di Calabria and an absolutely spectacular sanctuary Madonna di Polsi with an annual fair in late August and early September. Gerace sits on a hill composed of sixty-million-year old fossils from the sea. Experts think that this site been populated for
ten thousand years. Churches to visit include the Norman Cathedral, the Thirteenth Century Church of St. Francis with a beautiful Baroque altar, and the Tenth Century San Giovannello (Little St. John). You’ll really enjoy Gerace’s medieval town and the remains of an old, perhaps Tenth
Century castle.

Stilo was founded by the Greeks. In 1940 the area was the site of the Battle of Calabria, one of the biggest naval encounters of World War II. Its most impressive sight is the beautiful Ninth Century Byzantine Cattolica di Stilo. Other churches include the Cathedral, the Church of San
Domenico, and the Church of San Nicola da Tolentino. And don’t forget to visit the Norman Castle and the Fountain of the Dolphins.

Reggio di Calabria ’s best gelateria, Tonino in the Corso, makes a red onion ice cream (and others based on squid ink and nduja, the local spicy salami). Most Calabria wine comes from its northern sector. If you can find it, try the sweet Greco di Bianco DOC wine grown from a southern
Calabria version of the Greco grape, and the similar non-DOC Greco di Gerace.

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Levi Reiss wrote or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but to tell the truth, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his wine
website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.