My best life logging

I knew when I began to check out the types of ingredients in commercial pet foods that I would probably be shocked, but it really is a lot worse than that. In many cases it is down right loathsome, not to mention harmful and unhealthy to our pets. Many foods that have been declared unfit for human consumption are trucked off to pet foodstuffs companies.

Here are 10 common ingredients that could very well be in your pets dinner tonight if you are feeding them a commercial pet eatables product.

1) Euthanized cats and dogs (including collars, I.D. tags and flea collars, the fur is not removed)
2) Abed animals
3) Hydrolyzed poultry feathers - pressure treated feathers from slaughtered poultry
4) Hydrolyzed trifle - pressure treated hair from cattle, horses, pigs, and other slaughtered animals
5) Animal blood
6) Dried poultry wreck
7) Dried swine waste
Ground almond and peanut shells
9) A number of leftover parts from slaughter houses such as lungs, spleen and brain, just to name a few
10) Stick marks - the chunk of physically cut from an animal for human consumption that has been injected with hormones, antibiotics and other drugs

The scary thing is there is a lot more that I have not even listed. Even some commonly added vitamins and minerals have been proven toxic. Quite often the ingredient list is misleading. It’s hard to know what we should feed our dogs if we can not trust what we read on the trade name.

Do you know what a rendering plant is? According to Ann N. Martin author of Food Pets Die For, “Renderers stomach the waste and leftovers from our society. This includes animals picked up by dead stock removal companies; insensate zoo animals, road kill to large to be buried at the side of the road; restaurant and grocery store garbage, including the styrofoam trays and shapeable wrap; and hundreds of thousands of euthanized cats and dogs.” Rendered product is quite common in pet foods. In factors the rendering facilities are often located near the pet food companies. Did you really ever expect it to be that bad? This is truly, truly distasteful.

But you know what? That’s not all. In order to have an almost limitless shelf life, commercial pet food is quite heavily laden with baneful preservatives. Many of these preservatives have been banned from use in human food because they were found to be unhealthy.

A wonderful alternative to commercial pet eats is making your own pet food at home. There are hundreds if not thousands of recipes for pet foods and snacks that you can make in your own kitchen. Many of these homemade pet foods can be made in size, frozen and stored for ease of use.

Considering all the unconditional love we receive from our pets don’t we, at the very least, owe them a healthy dinner? They’ll be happier, healthier and glowing longer. Besides we’ll save all kinds of money on vet bills.

Digital scrapbooking is one of the newest trends in the scrapbooking relaxation. Scrapbookers are using the computer in many ways to enhance their scrapbooking pages, or create their pages entirely on the computer.

Some people use the computer to better their photos and scrapbooking pages. With the rise of digital photography, many scrapbookers are editing their photos on the computer before putting them in the album. They are removing red-eye, blurring out distracting backgrounds and enhancing the color of their photos. Some debris bookers are even printing their own photos at home. Doing this allows you to customize the size of the photo to fit perfectly onto your age.

Some scrap bookers use the computer to make elements for their traditional scrapbooking pages. They will create journal boxes, titles, enhancements and more on the computer, then affix it to the page. The most common use of the computer along these lines is to create titles and text boxes for the page. This is because you have a huge variety of fonts and colors to pull down your text when using the computer. There is even a type of software on the market today that allows you to make a text out of your own handwriting. This will permit you to save time using the computer to create your text without losing the personalized factor of the page including your own handwriting. You can beget stunning titles on the computer, using thousands of fonts.

The biggest trend in digital scrapbooking is to generate your page entirely on the computer. Using digital pictures, or scanned pictures and scrapbooking software, you can create amazing pages entirely on the computer. These pages will look a lot like the paper pages you see everywhere. One of the benefits of creating your pages on the computer is that you can allowance them with friends and family, no matter where they live. If grandma and grandpa live two states away, they can see the grandkids’ latest bellman with the click of the mouse. Not only that, but digital scrapbooking is a lot less time consuming than traditional scrap booking. You can create pages much quicker and if you neaten up a mistake, you just delete and start over. You have not wasted expensive supplies or ruined priceless photos.

If you are prosperous to enter the field of digital scrapbooking, it is important to purchase a photo-quality printer. If you are going to thirst for 12 x 12 albums, there are printers made specifically to hold 12 x 12 paper. Make persuaded whatever paper you are printing on is acid-free. You do not want your pages fading with time. Consider printing on photo credentials, as this will let your pages look like a traditional photo.

Since digital cameras are becoming the norm, so will digital leavings booking as the industry develops. You can do many things on the computer that you might not be able to do on paper. Don’t think that digital scrapbooking will replace records scrap booking, though. The camaraderie that women feel when they get together to scrapbook will be lost on the computer, so paper scrapbooking is going to fragments popular.

European American Investment Bank AG (Euram Bank) is a fully independent Austrian Private Bank and is 100% owned by its managing partners and three private investors. Euram Bank was established in Vienna in 1999.

We offer bespoke banking solutions for wealthy international and domestic private clients, family offices, private companies and financial institutions.

Our services comprise a full range of banking and investment banking expertise – from investment consulting and asset management, to structuring and operating family offices, foundations and trusts. We also create and execute sophisticated structured solutions for investment, divestment, diversification, refinancing and wealth transfer.

The management team and client advisors have decades of relevant expertise in international and Austrian banking and securities markets. We cooperate with selected international banks to achieve the best results for our clients.

We put our absolute independence and outstanding core competences at the service of the world’s most demanding clients, and we identify and provide access to the best investment products and services available.

Alternative Investments

Euram’s alternative investment team combines superior alternative investments with creative, innovative structures, granting wealthy private and institutional investors access to privately and publicly placed products in a tax efficient way.  Euram develops and structures demand driven products for private banks, asset managers and distribution networks in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Alternative investment products offered by Euram Bank stand out with positive long term performance uncorrelated to the developments of traditional markets. Product and manager selection is based on a mid term macro view of the investment environment combined with detailed manager due diligence.

The team is currently focusing on innovative Hedge Fund Products – Offshore Funds and tax efficient certificates, CLO/CDO wrappers, US and UK secondary life insurance funds and intellectual property funds (patent funds).

sourse: www.eurambank.com

Hot days!

How nice it is to be suntanned, dynamic and free to do everything we want! For most of us summer is the time when we can approach this dream. We use every possibility to lie in the sun and to strengthen our immune system. If our ?northern sun? isn’t enough for us, if it can’t pamper us with hot days we decide to have a trip to warm beaches — we hope that there we’ll manage to reach our fiery red friend and we’ll let it gild our white sun wishful bodies.

As compared to everyday life sunbathing presupposes a long stay in the sun and ultra-violet rays impact. The first circumstance attracts our attention to the amount and to the quality of liquid we drink. During this period you should drink water, and the amounts should be much bigger than usually. There is no other liquid that participates in water-salt exchange. If a drink has some color and taste, we initiate the mechanism of digestion. This means that we don’t drink juices, tonics, etc ? we eat them. And only pure water can compensate the loss of moisture that occurs through our skin when we thoroughly sunbathe. 2—3 liters of good water (non-chlorinated, fresh and without gas) is a necessary minimum. You may drink more, but never less. And remember: there is no better way of cleaning your organism! It’s also useful to take 2—3 grains of salt and suck them after having a glass of water. Then the water will get some time to stay in the organism and to ?fill with water? your skin, hair, nails, joints and other tissues where metabolism process passes slowly. It provides your organism with formation of melanin pigment (which gives your skin a golden-brown shadow) and strengthens your immune system. But at the same time it provokes the formation of free radicals. These substances damage ?Healthy? molecules and turn them into ?aggressors?, that continue the damaging action and affect the work of ferments, hormones and other members of metabolism. Damaged proteins are alien to our body. they bring to strained work of immune system and to overloads of excretive systems (first of all of kidneys and liver). So, if you decide to spend all day in the sun you have to try and save your organism from any other processed that overload the defensive and excretive functions of your organism.

So:

• Try to eat only natural healthy products. Avoid any kind of food chemistry. If you sunbathe exclude tonics, fizzy drinks, tinned food, ketchup, mayonnaise, chewing gum from your ration. Forget about desserts that contain any kind of conservatives (color, taste, stabilizers, etc). All this can be called harmful food. Give preference to water, fruits, use vegetable oils, lemon and grape juice with your salads.
• The main load for metabolic and excretive functions of an organism are animal proteins. While sunbathing you should limit the consumption of animal proteins. I during your holiday you want to follow the rules of healthy nutrition, eat meat or fish once a day and only in the evening. In summer eat more fish and sea-food than meat. As a garnish take green salad rather than spaghetti, rice or potatoes. Cottage cheese, all other kinds of cheese, yogurt and eggs are preferable to be eaten in the morning. A breakfast containing sour milk products shouldn’t be more often than twice or thrice a week, and have egg-breakfast only once a week. It’s especially useful to have fasting days once or twice a week ? on such days you may have only vegetables, fruits, nuts and cereals. Healthy nutrition will help you avoid weight gaining during your holiday.
• In summer your organism uses less power on warming than in winter. Therefore our main food in summer are fresh vegetables and fruits, whereas during the rest of the year we recommend having long-term carbohydrates (cereals and bread) in the first part of the day (for breakfast or for lunch). An ideal breakfast would be salad with a small loaf of bread, and for your midday meal choose some potatoes, rice or pasta with steamed, grilled or fresh vegetables. For your snack have some fruit with nuts. Try not to have fruits after 18.00 pm ? if you don’t follow this recommendation, they will provoke fermentation in your stomach and your favorite dress will fit you badly in the evening… By the way, swelling stomach means that there is a disbalance of stomach flora. Treating such problems is necessary and usually very long. The dieticians of our Clinic know the best ways to cope with it.
• Avoid eating the same product every day. Only food diversification can provide with all needed nutrition elements and at the same time it won’t overload digestion and won’t cause trouble for cleaning your organism.
• Be careful with alcohol. Avoid them during the day and don’t drink much in the evening. We decided to give our organism a possibility to cope with the consequence of ?free-radical boom?, so let your liver and kidneys work for your health and beauty.

If you follow these simple recommendations, you will come back from your holiday not only with a beautiful color of your skin, but also full of energy to continue your work.

source: www.drvolkov.com

Steamed Asparagus with Carrot Ginger Broth and Poached Oysters

18 each Large Asparagus
2 quarts Water
2 Tbsp Salt
18 each Oysters
2 cups Shellfish Stock
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb Carrots, diced
1 ? quarts Shellfish Broth, clear
2 each Lime Leaves
? Stalk Lemongrass, Sliced
1 Tbsp Ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Cilantro, snipped
2 Tbsp Thai Basil
1 Tbsp White Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Black Sesame Seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. First, prepare the carrot ginger broth. Combine the carrots, shellfish broth, lime leaves, ginger and lemongrass and simmer for 3-5 minutes and until the carrots are quite tender. Remove the lime leaves, puree the carrot broth and strain. Add the cilantro, basil, toasted sesame seeds, seasoning and keep warm.
2. Very carefully peel the asparagus from the bottom of the tip down to the stalk. Cut into 7 inch pieces. Wash under cold running water and rinse well. Tie into bundles and blanch in salted simmering water until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Lift from the water, cut off the twine and coat with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
3. Poach oysters in the simmering shellfish broth until they curl at the edges, about 1 minute.
4. To serve, place 3 asparagus on each warm dinner plate, arrange 3 oysters onto each portion of asparagus, garnish with a blanchete carrot curl and a spring of cilantro and Thai basil. Finish by spooning some carrot ginger broth over the presentation.

The most frequent display of children food intolerance is exudative diathesis or atopic dermatitis. More often it happens after the adding supplement feeding, but it can also be found at children on breastfeeding. It is caused by immaturity of the digestion system, fermental insufficiency, a dysbacteriosis of intestines.

The exudative diathesis predilection is often found among those children, whose parents suffer from any kind of allergic disease. It is necessary to remember, that exudative diathesis is the disease of the whole organism and it needs a complex treatment.

First of all it is a strictly individual diet created on the basis of you child blood test. The test shows what products your child’s organism is intolerant to (food allergens of both, fast and store character).

The exception of these products during 3—4 months from the nutrition allows not only to cure skin problems, but also to normalize your child’s stool, to stop stomachaches.

Following this diet the child usually puts on weight better, his or her mood and behavior improves.

Those children with exudative diathesis who make a repeated test in 5—6 months usually get a longer list of permitted products.

I’d like to notice that even those children who attend nursery schools and schools can still follow our recommendations. You can always find an good alternative to a traditional breakfast among 100—120 products tested in our Clinic.

Children suffering from early displays of food allergy or exudative diathesis have stomachaches and headaches in future, they are prone to frequent cold-related diseases followed by otitis and bronchitis.

Excess weight among children of preschool and school age is also a indication of some kind of food intolerance.

The two sides of Capitol Hill appear to be engaging in a bidding war to see who can put more money toward the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in its version of the economic stimulus bill.

The House included $335 million in its package. But the Senate, not to be outdone, provided $400 million in STD spending in its bill.

When the Drudge Report noted the House funds Wednesday morning, it set off a round of criticism from Republicans who said the money made no sense in a $819 billion bill designed to get the economy back on track.

“Senate big spenders will never be underbid in wasting tax dollars. But how in the world does STD research create jobs? Wait. … Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know,” said Wesley Denton, an aide to Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican.

But the Senate bill, on page 138 of the 431-page measure, directs $400 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “for the screening and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.”

The Senate is expected to begin floor debate on its stimulus bill next week.

Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat and chairman of the Senate Appropriations health subcommittee, listed the allocation as one of the noteworthy achievements of the Senate spending bill, along with $75 million for smoking cessation and $870 million to prepare for a pandemic influenza outbreak.

“This initiative includes grants to communities for health promotion, immunization programs, health screenings and counseling, smoking-cessation programs, scholarships and loan repayment for health professionals, research, and evidence-based disease-prevention strategies,” Mr. Harkin said in touting his work.

On the House side, the National Republican Congressional Committee fired off e-mails Wednesday challenging freshman Democrats to take a stand on whether they thought $335 million for STD prevention was a good way to spend economic-recovery money.

Harkin

The STD money was included in the bill that passed the House by a 244-188 vote Wednesday evening, but House Democrats were forced to remove a separate $200 million that had been designated to boost contraceptive coverage under Medicaid, the government-run health care plan for the poor.

That provision was removed after President Obama made a personal appeal to take it out of the bill.

Republicans and some Democrats have complained that the recovery bill is loaded with items that would provide little short-term help in boosting the economy. Republicans say the bill instead has become a vehicle for congressional Democrats to get approval for projects they’ve been unable to secure in recent years with congressional Republicans and President Bush able to foil their efforts.
Source

Trying to find a remedy for snoring can be a frustrating and costly experience. There are many products on the market which advertise that they are the best remedy for snoring. No one product on the market is the cure all for snoring because snoring is caused by many different factors. Understanding what is causing the snoring will help a person make decisions about the best treatment for that individual. If the snoring is caused by nasal congestion or vibrations in the nasal passageway snoring sprays may provide great relief. Snoring sprays are applied by spraying the oral and throat cavity. These snoring sprays come with a variety of mixtures which may do everything from lubricating the breathing passages to providing a numbing effect. When the nasal passageway is lubricated it may help nasal congestion and irritation to decrease in turn relieving the snoring problems. Snoring sprays which numb the oral-nasal cavity may relieve snoring by stopping the vibration of tissue. Snoring sprays can be a simple and low cost remedy to snoring providing for much needed sleep for an individual or their family members. Snoring sprays can be purchased online or at a local drug store. If a person is on other medications or has allergies to medicine, it would be good

Relieve snoring
News and latest information on how to relieve snoring and how to stop snoring naturally. You can cure snoring using many different methods or techniques. Some of these are outlined in our free 5 day email course on how to stop snoring. Others can be found throughout this site. Snoring is often caused by a build up of mucus at the back of the throat which blocks the airways a enough to cause snoring. The production of the mucus in itself maybe caused by many reasons.

Stop Snoring
Stop Snoring News and latest information on how to stop snoring covering all the tips and tricks on stopping snoring.

to check with the pharmacist for possible drug interactions to the snoring spray. Some Basic Cautions in the Use of Snoring Sprays It is very important for a person to know what is causing their snoring before just choosing an over-the-counter remedy such as snoring sprays. Snoring can be caused by weight, diet, allergies, alcohol use, or physiological problems. Snoring can be a symptom of some severe breathing problems. If a person is suffering from sleep apnea or an obstruction to their airway, a physician should be consulted to find the best treatment. There are many physicians who specialize in sleep medicine. Sleep studies can be performed to determine if a person is suffering from oxygen deprivation while sleeping. Any amount of oxygen deprivation can affect a person’s health and ability to perform functions of daily living. In this case using an over-the-counter remedy such as a snoring spray may be useless and may even hide a serious medical issue. It is important for a physician to be consulted to determine the best course of treatment. This does not necessarily mean that it will be expensive to treat a person. With some simple questions and a basic exam, a physician may recommend a basic treatment such as a lifestyle change, snoring spray or any other over-the-counter remedy.

The Christmas break is a great time to look back on the previous year, work out what you did well, what could have been better and reset your goals for 2009.

It is the ideal time to review your personal goals, property goals and any other business goals. And crucially make sure you write them down! This will make a significant difference in how you do overall this year. Like many property investors I have seen some values drop, and some properties cause more issues than others, but have also seen big positives with such dramatic drops in borrowing rates. I also think, more than ever, the last 4 months of 2008 made me even more glad I invest in property rather than

a) Not invest in anything or
b) Invest in the stock market or a traditional pension.

While some of the property headlines are pretty negative this is understandable but it is all relative. Compared to the FTSE top 500 companies which saw drops of 33% over the last 12 months ie most pension funds saw a drop in value by a third, the UK property market dropping by an average of 12% over the last 12 months is a significant difference.

Within that average as always the most affordable parts of the UK did better eg Scotland dropped by just 2%, and areas such as Hull, Hartlepool and Cumbria all dropped by less than 5% as an average over 12 months.

But also remember if people didn’t need to move they generally didn’t move – the majority of people selling in the last 6-9 months were those who were “distressed” sellers or had to take a low offers – which was always going to have dramatic knock on effect on average prices – but this doesn’t clearly tell us the full story on affordability – and until probably later this year it is hard to say what true values are in many areas.

What is for sure, as soon as more credit comes back in, and there are clear indications this is continuing to improve, then low offers will be less likely to be accepted.

No one forecast such large credit restrictions in 2008 and the knock on effect in certain property markets, and it is hard to be sure what will happen in 2009 but one thing is clear – affordability and attractive rental yields are at the best they have been in the UK for the last 3-4 years.

Gross rental yields, which were at around 5-6% a year ago, are now at 6.5-8% due to prices dropping and rents rising in many areas.

Prices may have dropped by around 12% as an average across the UK, but if you have a varied portfolio say spread across the UK and a couple of emerging markets, your overall yield should have risen with borrowing rates dropping and rents rising. Compare this to owning shares in large companies, where it is unlikely dividends will have risen as they will often be cash poor with cashflow issues.

This makes buy to let more attractive than ever in the UK and markets such as Czech Republic!

So how long will these opportunities last?

Six months? 12 Months?

Already borrowing rates are improving, with libor rate down to under 3%, and several lenders are close to increasing the LTV they will lend, as long as rental coverage is there. It is great to be able to find deals again where you can invest for very little funds and make over ?100 net a month!

I have spoken to 1-2 investors who have said they are looking to wait 6-9 months when they think prices will be lower.

Most people saying this have no real reason for saying this, apart from the fact they have read this may happen in the newspapers – and have no real way of measuring this as are not too close to the actual numbers – but it allows them to put off making a decision for a while – bit like saying I ll get fit in the New Year! Often people who would say this would not understand what is good value and what is not – and you won’t learn this in the newspapers! You should have your own clear idea on what is good value based on rental return and local affordability.

The main reason it is daft to wait is if you can buy an investment property now, for 20% below today’s market value ie perhaps as much as 30% less than last years value, tie up very little money in the process and have positive cashflow why risk waiting?!

When the bottom of the market is called it will probably be 2-3 months after the actual bottom of the market has occurred and if everyone suddenly realises the value of their property in these high yielding areas, and mortgages are more available, then you won’t be able to negotiate a 25% discount any longer that’s for sure!

Actually as soon as 85% mortgages are back, vendors will be under less pressure to give big discounts.

Let’s look at an example:

Say, you can buy a 2 bed property that last year valued at ?110,000, and now values at ?100,000 for an equivalent net price of say ?80,000.

Let’s say the rent is ?525 a month and the mortgage is ?300 and other monthly costs are ?100.

We can package this deal so you are only tying up ?6000 in total to buy this property – and the average salary in the area is currently ?24,000.

Why is this a great deal and I’d buy these all day long?

Well firstly why do I look at average salary in an area? This gives us an idea of the realistic value of property in the area – at 5 times the average salary here this property could be worth ?120,000. Even at 4 times the average salary it would be worth ?96,000. The average property price in the UK – even with the drop in values last year is at around 7.5 times the average salary – which I think is still quite high – but working to say 5 times in your local area gives you a good idea of the properties true value.

Let’s look at rental coverage. You are looking to buy this as a buy to let, so you want good rental coverage. Lenders have realised they were daft to lend based on 100% rental coverage previously ie the rent just covering the mortgage payments, and now want at least 125%. On the above example, the rental coverage is a massive 175%! Ie 300/525 – so lenders are more than happy, and it also gives you a good insight into the fact that it will continue to be attractive to investors – even if you refinance in 2-3 years time and go again! (If any of this is unclear, give me or my team a call and will be more than happy to go through in much more detail – on the phone or at one of or free One to One consultations across the country.) .

If you don’t have a pension and say have ?15-20,000 the best thing, in my opinion right now would be to buy 3-4 properties like above knowing you will have some instant equity and an ideal leveraged investment that is well priced and will rise in value over the next 3 years.

If spend ?6000 and are given ?20,000 equity based on today’s values –and say even if we look conservatively and say in 5 years time the property is worth ?120,000 – and you bought for the equivalent of a net ?80,000 – your ?6000 in is now worth ?46,000 assuming is cost neutral over the 5 years and with rental coverage of 175% you should be positive.

That is a massive return of 667%! You’ll never get a pension or bank close to this. The great thing with high yields is even if the market has not moved as quickly as you would like, ir for instance like now with the lack of credit, you are under no pressure to sell as it is working as a self funding investment.

So as many of our investors are realising the next 6 months could be the most exciting 6 months in the UK property market for a long time. This is simply a great time to build up some wealth quickly and help to secure your financial future.

We continue to see many Overseas countries and economies less affected by the credit issues.with LTVs of 90% still available in Czech Republic and Poland – and I like many investors will be continuing to buy in some of these economies which are still growing well.

So hopefully you are one of the many investors licking their lips at the bargains to be had now, and realise the window of opportunity is reducing all the time! I think the next 6 months will be the best opportunity and market sentiment will change quicker than you think!
Alan Forsyth runs the two websites at Property Investment Tips and Property Investment Deals. His company is one of the largest sourcing companies in the UK, and he is considered an expert on UK and Overseas property markets. He writes for several property magazines and gives free consultations to investors.
This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_752596_33.html

Mountain excitement: The delights of the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Bhutan have become more affordable.

Bhutan & Beyond has dropped the price of all-inclusive land tours by up to $US50 ($75) a person a night, with its nine-night Mini-Explorer now from $US2230 a person. In addition, two of the country’s luxury hotels have put together  special deals. You can even get free archery lessons. More: www.bhutan.com.au.

London calling: Virgin Atlantic has launched cut-price fares from Sydney to London from $1892, including taxes; Premium Economy starts at $3617. Valid for departures to March 29 but must be booked by January 31. More; 1300 727 340; www.virginatlantic.com.au.
Snow freeze: Victoria’s Falls Creek resort has made an early strike for the Australian ski season with news that season lift ticket prices will be frozen at last year’s level if purchased by the end of February. Adult passes, $999; children six to 14 and secondary students 15 to 18, $520; tertiary students, $699. More: www.fallscreek.com.au.
Slip away: Skimax already has deals for the Australian snow season. Children stay free at Falls Creek Hotel in a five-night package from $1966 an adult with dinners, breakfasts and five-day lift pass. Costs based on a family of two adults and two children (five to 14) staying at the end of July or the end of August. More: 1300 136 997; www.skimax.com.au.
Rail savings: Exclusively Canada is offering savings of up to $1000 a couple in its Canadian Rail sale for Cross Canada and Rocky Mountain rail vacations booked and paid for by February 28. For travel between June 1 and August 15; more than 20 packages available. More: 1300 886 817; www.exclusivelycanada.com.au.

Kiwi cut: Expedia has released a series of New Zealand deals with free nights at selected hotels. For instance, pay for two nights, get a third free at Mercure Resort Queenstown; from $69 a night for two. Valid for stays from February 1 to the end of March. More: www.expedia.com.au.

Free night: Stay in the Maldives for five nights, pay for four is the offer from Adventure World. From $5137 ex Perth, $5174 ex Melbourne, $5184 ex Sydney, $5194 ex Brisbane and $5188 ex Adelaide, including air taxes, accommodation at the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, breakfasts and return speedboat transfers from Male airport. Valid for travel from February 1 to April 16. More: 1300 363 055; www.adventureworld.com.au.

Class act: Captain Cook Cruises is breaking down the class divide by selling all levels of accommodation at the same price in its First In Best Room sale. The offer applies to three, four and seven-night Fiji cruises and saves up to 45 per cent on brochure prices. On sale to March 16 for travel to March 31. From $897 for a three-night Yasawa cruise. More: www.captaincook.com.au .
Surf’s up: Four nights for the price of three is on offer at BreakFree Imperial Surf Resort at Queensland’s Surfer’s Paradise with one-bedroom apartments from $169 a night. For sale to February 15 for travel to the end of March. More: 132 007; www.breakfree.com.au.
Celebration time: To celebrate Barack Obama’s inauguration, Freestyle Holidays has combined a three-night stay at Hawaii’s Aqua Island Colony hotel in Waikiki with flights from Sydney; from $1299 a person. Add six more nights from $200 a person. Valid for departures from February to the end of March. More: 1300 880 268; www.freestyleholidays.com.au.
Flight relief: Melbourne newcomer Mantra Tullamarine has launched an opening special to take the stress out of early morning departures and late-night arrivals for air travellers. From $125 for an overnight stay in a studio room; valid to the end of March. More: (03) 9093 6500; www.mantra.com.au.
Pacific plus: Adventure World has packages for more than 25 resorts in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tahiti and Norfolk Island with specials such as free nights plus extras such as free upgrades and children under 12 stay-free options. Six nights at Fiji’s Plantation Resort, for instance, is from $995 a person, with a seventh free night at Raffles Gateway Hotel and flights from Brisbane; also available from Sydney and Melbourne; for travel to September 20. More: 1300 363 055; www.adventureworld.com.au.
New Broome: Western Australia’s Cable Beach Club Resort at Broome is offering free room upgrades from February 27 to March 3 to mark its reopening following refurbishment. More: 1800 199 099; www.cablebeachclub.com.

Happy campers: DriveNow is offering a $100 cashback deal on Britz campervans booked by the end of March. For travel between April and the end of March 2010; applies to bookings of 14 days or more. More: www.drivenow.com.au.

Easter special: Melbourne’s Hotel Windsor has released a three-night Easter special from $450 a room; available from April 5-19. Upgrade to a superior room for $105. More: (03) 9633 6002; www.thehotelwindsor.com.au.
Who, what, when: Peppers has accommodation and ticket packages to see The Who’s outdoor show at Hope Estate in NSW’s Hunter Valley on March 28. Nearby Peppers Guest House is offering a two-night package that includes breakfasts, transfers, dinner with wine and beer, A-reserve concert tickets, hamper of dessert and wine and access to the after-show Supper Club; $945 a person More: 1800 777 444; www.hopeestate.com.au.
Late show: A two-night weekend stay at participating Mercure hotels comes with breakfasts for two, 2pm checkout and $50 restaurant credit. Valid to April 5. More: www.mercure.com.au.
Fizz plus: Valentine’s Day looms and Sydney’s refurbished Novotel Manly Pacific is offering a seductive overnight package from $460 a couple that includes an ocean-view room, bottle of Bollinger champagne, strawberries with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and breakfast in bed. Available February 13-15. More: (02) 9977 7666; www.novotelmanlypacific.com.au.
Take one: Pay four nights and get the fifth free until March 26 at Western Australia’s Novotel Ningaloo Resort Exmouth. The resort has a range of hotel rooms and one, two and three-bedroom self-contained apartments. More: (08) 9949 0000; www.novotelningaloo.com.au.
Full steam ahead: Value Tours has a stay for 10 nights but pay for seven ski deal at Colorado’s Steamboat Springs. From $1697 a person with nine-day liftpass; flights extra. For travel from February 17 to March 13; More: 1300 361 322; www.valuetours.com.au.

Rail savings: Rail Plus has earlybird deals on its popular Eurostar train between London, Paris and Brussels. On sale until March 9 for travel to the end of August. More: www.railplus.com.au.
Double bonus: Coast Resort in Merimbula on the NSW south coast is offering a stay for seven nights but pay for five deal until April 3. It reduces the price of a one-bedroom apartment to $810, a saving of $240; two and three-bedroom apartments also available. In addition, there’s a 25 per cent discount at the resort’s Zanzibar Cafe. More: www.coastresort.com.au.
Fiji for free: Air Pacific has included a free stopover in Fiji in a special $1399 return fare for travel between Australia’s east coast and Los Angeles. Available from Brisbane, Queensland’s Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne for $839 one way, plus taxes. On sale to March 31; children travel for 75 per cent of the adult fare. More: 1800 230 151; www.airpacific.com.
Mauritius licked: Six nights at Le Coco Beach Resort Mauritius is available from $2059 a person ex Melbourne with transfers, all meals, free ice cream, unlimited drinks (from 10am to 1am), free minibar, free beach trolley service and non-motorised sports. Taxes are an extra $630. For travel to the end of April. More: 1300 362 166.
Boots and all: Trade in your old boots at a Paddy Pallin store from February 2-22 for 20 per cent off a new pair. In a collaboration with trekking company South Sea Horizons, the hand-ins will go to porters in Papua New Guinea. More: www.paddypallin.com.au.
Book in: Bonus nights and free breakfasts come with most stays of more than three nights in the new Hawaii brochure from Qantas Holidays. More: 131 415; www.qantas.com.au/holidays.
River roving: European river cruising specialist Beyond Travel has extended its discounts of $700 to $1000 a couple on a range of Viking River cruise itineraries in eastern and western Europe, Russia and China. The offer applies to 18 itineraries and more than 350 departures. Must be booked and paid for by the end of February. More: 1300 363 554; www.beyondtravel.com.au.

Surcharges dropped: Low fares, reduced deposits and a suspension of fuel surcharges are part of Holland America Line’s so-called stimulus plan being offered to boost interest in a range of cruises. Deposit requirements have been cut by 50 per cent on all cruises and Alaska cruise tours departing from May. More: 1300 766 566; www.traveltheworld.com.au.
Family fun: Imaginative Traveller has savings of $681 on its 11-day Tropical Treasures family adventure in Bali. The escorted small-group trip is from $1021, plus a local payment of about $390 a person. Includes arrival transfer, family-style hotels (most with pools), transport by minivan and boat plus activities; flights extra. More: 1300 135 088; www.imaginative-traveller.com.au.

Free air: Active Travel is offering free return flights from Sydney to Ushuaia, Argentina, in conjunction with One Ocean Expeditions’ cruise to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. A quick decision’s needed as the 18-night voyage departs on February 24. It was priced from $US12,990 ($18,360) a person, ex Ushuaia. More: 02) 9264 1231.
Crystal clear: Crystal Cruises has savings of up to $US1500 ($2110) a person on most 2009 European sailings. The offer applies to Penthouse accommodation, veranda staterooms and deluxe staterooms. More: www.crystalcruises.com.
Bali extras: Bali’s Dreamland Luxury Villas & Spa has released a February-March special of three nights for the price of two in a one-bedroom villa. From $US730 ($1000) with breakfast and extras ranging from fresh fruit and flowers on arrival to massages for two; flights extra. Located close to Uluwatu, the resort’s villas come with private pools. More: www.dreamland-villas.com.
Cruise control: Fiji’s Blue Lagoon Cruises is offering a 15 per cent discount and free cabin upgrade on all Club and Gold Club Yasawa Island cruises booked by the end of February (for travel to August 31). The discount applies to three and four-day Club cruises and four and seven-day Gold Club trips. With the discount, two-night Club cruises start at $479 a person; flights extra. A daily fuel surcharge of about $20 a person also applies. More: www.bluelagooncruises.com.
On sail: Beyond Travel’s eight-day cruises along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast on motorised sailboats come with a free upgrade to an A-grade vessel where all cabins have private facilities. From $748 a person with breakfast and lunch; flights extra. Round-trip voyages depart from Split or Opatija with departures from April 18 to October 17. More: 1300 363 554; www.beyondtravel.com.au.
Thai break: Fly free from all Australian mainland capitals to Phuket in Thailand to join a February 14 cruise on the luxury yacht Star Clipper. The seven-night voyage is from $3289 a person; must be booked by January 31. More: 1300 362 599; www.creativecruising.com.au.
To the Hunter: NSW’s Plaza Hunter Valley has added three-bedroom villas to its accommodation options. Midweek stays are from $333 and weekends from $513 a night. The self-contained villas sleep up to six guests and feature two bathrooms, living and dining area and a kitchen. More: (02) 4991 0900; www.crowneplaza.com.au.

On the house: Two free nights are on offer at Queensland’s Hamilton Island in a pay for five nights, stay for seven package. From $737.50 a person; valid to the end of March. More: 137 333; www.hamiltonisland.com.au.
Drive time: NSW’s Grand Pacific Drive, on the south coast an hour’s drive from Sydney, is celebrating its third birthday with deals that include a two-park pass that combines entry to Jamberoo Action Park and the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk with a stay at Wollongong’s Novotel Northbeach, Belmore All-Suite Hotel or the Sebel Harbourside Kiama. From $207 a night for two adults and $299 for a family of four. Valid to March 31. More: 1800 240 737; www.2parkpass.com; www.grandpacificdrive.com.au.
Drive time: Renault Eurodrive has deals ranging from seven days lease-free driving, full insurance cover with no excess in 44 countries, free delivery and return in 20 French centres and 50 per cent off delivery and return costs at 14 centres in eight other European countries. In addition, past customers get an extra three days driving at no additional cost. More: 1300 551 160; www.renaulteurodrive.com.au.

At the double: Luxury New Zealand north island lodges Kauri Cliffs and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers are offering a free night with joint stays from March to the end of April. Stay a combined five nights at the properties (at least two nights at each) and the sixth night is free. Includes dinner and breakfasts. More: + 64 6875 1900; reservations@capekidnappers.com.

Bula bargain: Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau Island has a new Early Bird Stay offering holidaymakers five nights accommodation for the price of three. On sale to March 31 for travel for the next 12 months, the deal applies to all room types and Early Bird Stay guests also receive unlimited use of non-motorised watercraft, complimentary in-room broadband internet access and a welcome drink on arrival. More: 1800 333 333; www.radisson.com.

Euro savings: Mercure has 40 per cent discounts at 340 hotels in Europe until the end of February. Two-night packages are available in Paris from $208 a room, Berlin from $128, Vienna from $192, Budapest from $124, London from $198 and Rome from $184 with breakfasts for two.  More: 1300 65 6565; www.mercure.com.

Lasting impression: All Seasons Olims Hotel Canberra has a deal linked with the National Gallery of Australia’s exhibition featuring the work of French Impressionist Edgar Degas. The package, with overnight accommodation, parking, room service breakfast and two tickets to the exhibition, is from $184 a room. The exhibition runs until March 22. More: (02) 6243 0000; stay@olimshotel.com.
Going down: APT has discounts of up to $750 a person on four European cruises . They include a 13-day Black Sea voyage (now from $3495 a person) from Istanbul to Budapest and a 16-day Budapest to Paris trip (now from $5395). Departures from May 13 to August 15; air fares and port charges extra. More: 1300 656 985; www.aptouring.com.au.
Pedal power: Experience Mt Buller’s mountain bike trails with a two-night adventure package from $246 a person. Includes accommodation at Bulller Avalanche Lodge, dinners and breakfasts, bike and helmet hire and two-hour guided tour of the Victorian resort’s trails. Available to April 12. More: 1800 28 5537.

Sail on sale: Queensland’s Sunsail Yacht Charters is offering two free nights on holidays until  March 31. In addition, the Hamilton Island-based company is reducing the minimum charter time from five nights to one. More: 1800 803 988; www.sunsail.com.au.
So low: APT has half-price solo traveller fares and savings of up to $730 on selected Western Australia and Queensland tours next year. Must be booked by February 28. More: www.aptouring.com.au.

Get in early: AAT Kings is offering “early eagle” savings of up to $1100 a couple on its 16-day Outback Wonders escorted holiday that includes the Northern Territory’s Kakadu and Alice Springs and South Australia’s Coober Pedy and Clare Valley. Must be booked by the end of February for travel from April 6 to January 12, 2010. From $5045 a person, land only. More: www.aatkings.com.
Spring to it: Peppers Springs Retreat & Spa in Victoria’s Hepburn Springs has launched five two-bedroom spa villas with introductory rates for two-nights from $890 for two, including breakfasts, three-course dinner and spa pass. More: (03) 5321 6200; www.peppers.com.au.

Tassie discounts: APT has discounts of $350 a person on five of its 12-day tours of Tasmania to April, bringing the price to $3795. In addition, its 10-day Gourmet Adventurer small-group tour is reduced to $3545 for three departures to March. Includes touring, accommodation, most meals, cruises and national park and entrance fees; for both tours, flights to Lauceston are extra. More: 1300 656 985; www.aptouring.com.au.
Meeting demand: Pearl Sea Coastal Cruises says it is meeting the demand for shorter trips with its new five-day West Australian Kimberley voyage. Savings of 20 per cent are available on the shorter cruise, as well as on its seven and 14-day 2009 trips. Prices range from $5000 to $6300 a person, which includes local flights, guided excursions, all meals and transfers. More: (08) 9193 6131; www.kimberleyquest.com.au.

Bali bonuses: New Bali resort The Dreamland Luxury Villas & Spa at Uluwatu has a rate of $437 a night for a one-bedroom villa until March 31. Includes breakfasts and extras such as fresh fruit on arrival, massage for two and afternoon tea. Plus there’s a choice between a free dinner for two or a two-hour Dream Spa package with bookings of three nights or more. More: www.dreamlandvillas.com.
Free air: Rail Plus has launched an Explore the Top End package from Sydney or Perth to Darwin on the Indian Pacific and The Ghan with a free return economy-class flight thrown in. From $2675 a person ex Sydney, $3385 ex Perth, for gold-class, which includes restaurant car dining, private cabin with ensuite, cabin service steward, welcome kit and tea and coffee on demand. The Sydney-Darwin trip is over three nights; from Perth it’s four nights. For sale to February 24 for travel to March 31. More: www.railplus.com.au.

Take a bow: Travel the World has savings of up to $2556 a person on brochure prices for MS Volendam’s 14-night Sydney to Auckland round cruise. Now from $1299 a person; add taxes of $247 and fuel supplement of $168. There are departures  to March 2. Also available as a fly-cruise package. More: 1300 766 566; www.traveltheworld.com.au.
Spring to it: Aurora Alice Springs in the Northern Territory has cut the cost of its three-day accommodation package from $978 a couple to $498. Includes a bottle of wine, breakfasts and $50 dinner credit. For travel to the end of March next year but bookings can only be made up to 28 days in advance. More: www.totaltravel.com.

Paris match: Tempo Holidays is offering a stay for four nights, pay for three deal at five Paris hotels during the northern winter (to the end of February). For example, the nightly rate at the four-star Hotel Luxembourge Parc is from $238 a person and the three-star Courcelles Etoile is from $102. All include breakfast. More: 1300 558 987; www.tempoholidays.com.
Double up: Two can cruise for the price of one on Dawn Princess’s 17-night voyage from Hawaii to Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Sydney in May. From $3699 a person, which includes flights from Sydney to Honolulu, two-nights at the Aqua Waikiki Wave hotel, port charges and taxes; air taxes extra. More: 1300 369 848; www.ecruising.travel.

source: theaustralian.news.com.au