Bringing the family pet along on a road trip may seem like a good idea – you don’t have to ask friends or family to look after your pet and you can avoid the costs and concerns that go with boarding and kennels. But traveling with pets in the car also brings special challenges that, fortunately, can be met with a bit of forethought and careful preparation of both the vehicle and pet.

According to information from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which recently teamed with Subaru of America to produce a brochure on pet travel tips, bringing a pet along on a road trip simply involves adapting your routine to the road. All of the things you take into consideration at home – your pet’s health, happiness and safety – should be thoughtfully addressed when traveling with your pet.

Here are 10 helpful tips for road-tripping with pets from the AVMA and Subaru:

1. If your pet is not accustomed to car travel, take it for a few short rides before your trip so it will feel confident that a car outing does not necessarily mean a trip to the veterinarian or an unpleasant destination.

2. Cats should always be confined to a cage or in a cat carrier to allow them to feel secure and prevent them from crawling under your feet while you are driving.

3, Dogs riding in a car should not ride in the passenger seat if it is equipped with an airbag, and should never be allowed to sit on the driver’s lap.

4. See your automotive dealer for pet accessories designed specifically to fit your vehicle, such as compartment dividers that separate pets and cargo from the passenger area. Several automobile manufacturers, including Subaru, offer a dog guard/compartment divider that keeps pets safely in the rear cargo area of station wagons, “crossover” vehicles and SUVs.

5. Pets should not be allowed to ride with their heads outside car windows. Particles of dirt or other debris can enter the eyes, ears, and nose, causing injury or infection.

6. Give small portions of food and water. Plan to stop every two hours for exercise. Remember to include a leash with your pet’s traveling supplies.

7. If your dog has a problem with carsickness, your veterinarian can prescribe medication that will help the dog feel comfortable during a long car trip.

8. Pack a simple pet first-aid kit that includes assorted bandages, antiseptic cream, an anti-diarrheal medication that is safe for pets (ask your veterinarian to suggest a product), gauze squares, phone numbers for your veterinarian, and a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital at your destination, as well as a national poison control hotline.

9. In addition to a standard identification tag (which should be labeled with your name, home address, and phone number), your pet’s collar should include a travel tag with information on where you are staying while away from home. Should your pet become lost, this will allow you to be contacted locally.

10. Perform a daily “health check” on your pet when away from home. In unfamiliar surroundings, your pet’s appetite, energy, and disposition may change. Watch for unusual discharges from the nose and eyes, excessive scratching or biting of any body part, abnormal elimination, or excessive water consumption. Visit a local veterinarian if you are concerned about any physical or behavioral changes.

As you can see, a little planning and a carefully prepared vehicle can make all the difference between a good time had by all and a road trip filled with regret.

For more information download a color copy of the AVMA/Subaru Traveling With Your Pet brochure.

The thing is you don’t have to be a business traveler to fly business class, anyone who can afford it can buy a ticket. And that’s a problem for most people who can’t afford tickets in the thousands of dollar range. Fortunately it is possible to find cheap business class international air fares to just about anywhere you wish to fly.

Here’s a little known secret. Everyday at midnight all the airlines ticketing databases are updated with the new days airfares. Here’s the secret to this secret. Everyday the airlines run specials that include highly discounted tickets for nearly all their flights, including business class. The problem is they don’t actively advertise this fact so the general public doesn’t know about them and those who do buy them up fast.

How do you get these tickets? Set your alarm and call the airlines ticketing service centers early in the morning and ask. That’s it, you have to ask what kind of deals they have going for their international business class fares and see if it fits your travel budget.

This same thinking can be used with the online travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity, These sites have deals in place with the airlines which allows them to buy up large blocks of tickets for discounted prices, which they can pass on to you. Much like the airlines databases these websites update their ticketing data around midnight and any deals or discounts are first come first serve.

Another place to look for cheap business class tickets are the less well known airlines. India Air and Iceland Air both have international flights and in many cases are able to offer savings up to 80% less then the more well known major carriers.

If you have been accumulating frequent flier miles and get enough of them you can cash those in and get a seat upgrade. If you can get what is known as an elite status on those miles this will also help you upgrade to business class. Just be sure to use your miles efficiently as possible.

Another good resource for finding cheap business class international air fares is the eBook My Airfare Secrets which outlines hundreds of tips and techniques for finding dirt cheap airplane tickets.

Andrew Bicknell: To learn more about how My Airfare Secrets can save your travel dollar please visit the My Airfare Secrets Review Page by clicking here.

An extremely popular place to ride motorcycles is up and down the Pacific coast. You can start in the cool air of Oregon or Washington and make your way down the coast to California. The Pacific highway is gorgeous, overlooking ocean vistas. Just watch out for the drop – there are some curvy parts of the road. From California you can bike across the desert to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Strip is an ideal place to sightsee on a motorcycle. Parking is free and abundant whenever you want to get off your bike and try your luck in one of the city’s many casinos.

You can bike through New Mexico, taking in the vast plateaus and deserts from the back of your ride. You can visit Roswell, the town where a UFO is rumored to have landed in 1947. Check out the amazing restaurants in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Park your bike and stop in a watering hole to absorb some local flavor and ingredients. The Mexican-influence cuisine can be spicy. New Mexico is also home to Lincoln County, famous for its affiliation with Billy the Kidd and his gang of marauders. There is plenty of picturesque camping in New Mexico, especially near Cloudcroft, where you can set up camp in the mountains and rest up for your next day’s travels. Camping is an ideal way to save on hotel fees. You can purchase a light tent and sleeping bag that can easily be strapped to your motorbike. Travel with bikes is also cheaper than travel in a car because of all the money you save on gas.

If you’re interested in the Civil War, there are plenty of battlegrounds to see on a motorcycle. You can drive across the Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge, and the Westport battlegrounds in Arkansas and Missouri. If you are interested in staying on the East Coast of the United States, consider taking your bike north across the border. There are beautiful rides through Canada and Nova Scotia. Just be sure to go in the summer because the climate can be very cold up north in the winter. In summer the weather will be ideal – not too hot but pleasant enough to spend days on the back of your bike, taking in the open air.

Concentrating on the area of Calpe, Ray Walberg publishes mostly for http://www.alicante-spain.com . His work on Orihuela are published on his site .

Like anything in life there will be unexpected things that happen. But preparing for the unexpected, and embracing the adventure of your cruise vacation will ratchet up your joy quotient considerably.

There are some things that you need to do before your cruise day arrives and you start the dream vacation. These tasks, should you choose to accept them, will greatly enhance the peace-of-mind quotient of you joyous vacation.

Bring your passport for easy access to and from excursions,

Bring your health insurance cards,

Give your ships travel plan to friends, and

Make sure that you get a room with a veranda. Watch the ocean go by from your cabin. Your room will be a great vacation location in and of itself.

Breathe deeply…

Because now we can cruise anywhere we want and get back, fearlessly go on excursions knowing that medial treatment, if available is ours for the taking, and we are secure in the fact that our friends will know how to reach us at any time. Lastly, our room will serve as a vacation oasis 24/7.

Shoving Off – First Things First

Let’s begin at the beginning once your cruise is booked and all your transfer arrangements have been made then set the factors that you control in your favor. Understand the circumstances for the boarding the vessel for instance. Will you be required to wait in long lines? Since your cabins are reserved think about finding a location close to the departing vessel where you can relax and maybe avoid the long boarding lines. Remember! Being first does not ensure a good time. Don’t stress this detail. Last with time to spare is good to.

While Cruising

While cruising…

A few activities will insure that you actual cruise experience will be cool, calm, and collected. Many people like to lounge near pools and other common areas. If you’re one of those people this tip will help:

Make sure that your up early to get the choice seats in and around the pool and deck areas.

The new less formal cruises offer a lot of flexibility for your eating schedules but if you are not on one of those then you choice of dining times should not get in the way of your excursions.

Choose late seating so that cruise excursions don’t encroach upon your dining plans

Make sure that you enjoy your cruise vacation. Research your excursions well in advance and then choose the ones that suit you the best. Then follow these few small tips and your cruise vacation will be the stuff of dreams.

Author: David Gilmore http://funholidaytravel.com/