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Cooking school tours in Italy and around the world have multiplied like zucchinis in a summer garden.

This article tells you how to sift through the overwhelming choice of Italian cooking tours and find the right one for you, so you experience a feast for your senses, heart, mind and soul, a trip of a lifetime and avoid disappointments.

A cooking holiday in Italy can add up to a big investment of time and money.

Maybe you’ve been dreaming for years about a cooking school tour in Italy. Maybe it’s a special trip to celebrate a 40th, 50, 60th birthday or a big anniversary with family and friends you love.

How to choose an Italian cooking school tour that gives you the joy and value you expect? How to protect your investment in your trip?

Ask yourself these 10 questions.

1. What is important to me in my Italian cooking tour?

List what’s important to you in your cooking tour. Read tour itineraries critically with the mind of a detective. If an itinerary seems vague, ask the tour operator detailed questions.

Here are some examples of what may be important to you and what to look for in tour itineraries.

A. Lots of cooking lessons? How many lessons are in the itinerary?

B. Lots of wine visits? How many winery visits and wine tastings are in the itinerary? Where do they take place? In wineries with the producer? In wine shops with a knowledgeable staff member?

C. Lots of stimulating food visits? What kind? Cheese and olive oil producers? Truffle hunting? Make sure the itinerary has visits that make YOUR mouth water.

D. Immersing yourself in Italian life? How many different local people do you meet and how many different towns or locations do you visit?

What kind of Italian cultural experiences delight you? Meeting an artist in his ceramic studio? Cooking in a family’s home and dining with the family? Are these events in your tour?

2. What is my budget?

Prices for a six day Italian cooking tour package vary from about $2000 to 5100 Cdn or $1900 to $4800 U.S. Four day tours go from about $1200 to 3400 Cdn or $1100 to $3200 U.S. at current exchange rates.

3. What kind of accommodation is best for me?

Some people are happy in simple, clean rooms in B & Bs with minimal decor because they’re hardly ever in the room. They prefer to put their money towards special food and wine experiences. Is this you?

Others want beautiful, four star hotels or country properties with magnificent views and rooms oozing with historical charm and designer decor. Is this you?

4. What kind of excursions do I want?

Is this your first time in this particular region so you prefer sightseeing? Are you a foodie hungering for gastronomic adventures or a wine lover thirsting for winery tours? If you’d like a bit of it all, how much sightseeing and how many food and wine visits do you want?

Often cheaper tours offer mostly sightseeing where you explore and shop in medieval towns and admire beautiful country panoramas.

More expensive tours give you exclusive gastronomic visits where you watch artisan producers making cheese or tour wineries with owners who tell you all you ever wanted to know about their wines and give you special tastings.

5. When do I want to travel in Italy?

Are you keen on the wine harvest? Food lovers swarm to Italy for the wine harvest in September and October when you have a large number of cooking tour choices so reserve early.

Is warm weather important? Generally in most parts of Italy, mid May to mid October are warm to hot. July and August in some parts of Italy may be too hot for you.

Would you like a quieter time when chefs and winery owners can give you more personal attention? You’ll find a good choice of cooking tours in May and June.

In steaming mid August most Italian businesses shut for annual summer holidays. Cities empty out. Masses flock to the mountains or beaches, leaving cities like Florence to the tourists. You’ll find less cooking school choice in August.

6. How many people in my cooking class?

Six or eight? You’ll get to prepare the whole lunch or dinner menu.

Ten or more? You’ll join the “eggplant” or “tiramisu” team and not learn how to make the other dishes. But the more the merrier! A larger class also may give you demonstration style, not hands-on lessons. Which do you prefer?

7. What level of cooking teacher and class do I need?

You can savour once in a lifetime experiences with great home cooks on their farms. If you’re a gourmet cook, you may prefer more professional level cooking lessons with restaurant chefs. Check cooking teachers’ qualifications.

Ask about class level. Most classes are geared to food loving tourists, ranging from gourmet cooks to rank beginners. If the thought of cooking with people who can’t separate eggs gives you nightmares, gather your own group of good cooks together for a private cooking tour or classes.

8. What kind of cooking lessons do I like?

Hands-on lessons where you put your hands in the flour, or demonstration style classes where you watch the chef’s expert moves and ask lots of questions?

Many demonstration classes tend to be large from 10 to even 20 people. Julia Childs reportedly had 40 disciples watching her in classes at the five star Hotel Cipriani in Venice and following her in a long line through the Rialto market.

9. Where do I eat on my cooking tour?

Do you want to eat in a variety of local restaurants, so you get a real flavour of different cooking styles and towns and countryside in Italy?

Or do you prefer quieter meals at your country villa or estate, where the chef feels like an Italian family member?

Less expensive cooking tours feature most meals at home, while more expensive ones take you to more restaurants.

10. What is included and not included in the price of my cooking tour?

Some tour itineraries don’t make it crystal clear what’s included. Some say “optional” excursions or lunch “on your own” which mean you pay extra. Some say “evening at leisure” which means free time and dining on your own.

11. Ask for references

If you want to feel reassured you’ve chosen the right Italian cooking tour, ask the tour operator for names of past tour clients and their e-mails. Contact them to find out first hand if the itinerary delivers on what you want to experience.

For many food and wine lovers, taking a cooking tour in Italy means a long time dream is coming true and represents a big investment of time and money.

Make sure your dream becomes a fabulous real experience. When you have a short list of tours that appeal to you, read the itineraries critically and ask yourself these 10 questions.

Buon viaggio! Buon appetito!

Margaret Cowan wrote “Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy”, owns Mama Margaret Italian Cooking Holidays company, has run cooking tours since 1995 & has traveled to Italy for 30 years.

For more questions to ask, click “Free Report” at http://www.italycookingschools.com

Back in the simple days of air travel, a nice set of luggage containing at least three pieces was enough. Carry on bags were usually men’s briefcases and ladies purses. Those days are long gone. We have much more to carry now and with airport restrictions being what they are, it can be difficult to pack what you need to, without damaging electronic equipment.

Pleasure or Business

The type of luggage or bags you need for your trip will depend upon if you are traveling for business or for pleasure. If you are a business traveler you may only need a wheeled traveler to keep all your things together and perhaps a garment bag for you to pack the all important power suit. Of course if you carrying your laptop, you will need your computer briefcase to carry it.

For those who are traveling for pleasure, they may not need a garment bag. They made just need a nice matched set of luggage is large enough to pack what you need, yet compact enough to travel and carry through the airport with ease. Your carry one luggage may consist of a small bag where you carry important things like magazines, gum, tickets and itineraries and anything else you are allowed to carry on these days.

Types Of Luggage You Can Choose From

No matter what your style is or the reason for traveling, there are many different kinds of luggage you can buy these days. Many people opt for backpacks. They also come with a computer compartment or they can come as wheeled back packs, though I think that kind of defeats the purpose. You can find a wide selection of wheeled luggage which you may find more convenient to lug around the different areas of the airport where you have to check in. There are also great roomy carry-ons if you are only going on a short trip and don’t want to check your luggage.

There are also many name brand luggage companies where you can choose your traveling gear. Companies like American Tourister often have the latest in trends and are well known for their strength and durability. You can choose from Samsonite, a company that has been selling luggage for a few generations or any number of famous name luggage brands.

You can do your shopping for your traveling gear quickly and easily when you decide to do it online. You will be able to visit many websites and compare prices and values, so you can pick the perfect set of luggage that will be able to handle long trips and quick jaunts for many years to come. Most people don’t realize that buying luggage is an investment. You may cringe at the price at first, but if it quality made, it should last you a lifetime.

Next time you are ready to fly the friendly skies, leave your old ratty suitcase at home and invest in a piece of luggage that tells the world you have some grace, style and class

James Brown writes about Luggage OnLine promo code, WorldTraveler coupon and Magellan’s Travel Supplies deals

The main driving force behind the construction of the pyramids was the desire for eternity. Everyone who is lucky enough to be able to visit the pyramids cannot help but be overawed by their sheer scale and the incredible, technological mastery used to build them.

The pyramids were constructed as tombs for kings and queens, as parts of funerary complexes, where there would also be shrines and temples. The priests would summon the spirits of the deceased royalty and make offerings to ensure their immortality would be realized.

Many pyramids were built between 2700 and 1640 BC and there are still plenty surviving today, although many were reduced to rubble.

An architect with the name of Imhotep was the first master pyramid builder. He began by making a tomb in the shape of a mastaba, which is a long, flat, rectangular building, made of sun-baked mud bricks. The walls stood about 12 feet high.

Imhotep used stone to build with and kept adding to the tomb until he had made a six layered, stepped pyramid, which stood 200 feet high. This was the Step Pyramid and Saggara, the first Egyptian monument to be made completely from hewn stone.

Imhotep was greatly respected and worshipped, after his death, as a god. His incredible achievement is still standing today at Memphis, south of Cairo.

Between 2600 and 2500 BC, the time of the fourth dynasty, the Egyptians had honed their great architectural abilities to allow them to build the most famous and spectacular pyramids, the ones at Giza.

These pyramids, known as Mycerinus, Khufu and Khafre, were of a true pyramidal form and originally were built with smooth, white, limestone faces. They went on to become one of the Seven Wonders of the World because of the awe they inspired.

The biggest Egyptian pyramid at Giza, built for and named after the pharaoh Khufu, is 481 feet tall. It contains about two and a half million stone blocks and the average weight of the blocks is two and a half tons. Some weight up to fifteen tons.

Most of the stone used to build these monuments was quarried limestone. A much harder stone, granite, was also used for building the internal passages and burial chambers. This was brought a distance of over five hundred miles by river from the quarries in Aswan, in the south. Ramps were then used to drag the stones into place.

The later Egyptian pyramids of Mycerinus (204 feet high) and Khafre (471 feet) stand next to Khufu.

Within the Khafre funerary complex is also the famous limestone statue of the Sphinx, which is the biggest and oldest image of a man-headed lion.

The Sphinx is a lot smaller than the huge pyramids but is still large. It stands 66 feet high and is 240 feet long. The statue was meant to represent a divine guardian and its head is thought to be Khafre himself.

There is an inscribed granite slab between the paws of the Sphinx. This slab describes a dream which a prince called Tuthmosis had while resting in its shade during a hunt for gazelle.

He dreamt the Sphinx approached him and promised him the whole kingdom if he would clear the sand from his body which made breathing very hard. Tuthmosis did this to oblige the Sphinx and even ordered the construction of mud brick walls around the monument to discourage further encroachment.

That the Sphinx kept his word is demonstrated by the 3000 year old slab placed by Tuthmosis IV, who was the new pharaoh of the land.

Visit Travel to Egypt - Tours, Vacations, Hotels to find out more about this amazing country.

“Travel to Egypt” offers valuable information about Egypt tours, hotels, Egyptian Pyramids, Ancient Egypt, Nile cruises and much more. Of course, all articles are loaded with wonderful pictures.

The kingdom of Thailand lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Indochina, Myanmar and Southern China. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions : the mountains and forests of the North; the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.

Located 862 kilometers south of Bangkok is Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, which is often dubbed as the pearl of the Andaman, or the pearl of the south. Its natural resources- rocky peninsular, limestone cliffs, white powdery beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests contribute to making it the South’s wealthiest, busiest, most visited and most popular island and province.

Staying on the island is easy, as there are only two seasons in a year - the rainy season (May to October) and the hot season (November to April). The low season of phuket is between September and October as they are the wettest months. The best period for a visit, is from November to February, when it is possible to see the clear blue sky, feel the fresh sea breeze and marvel at the crystal clear water while lying on powdery, palm-fringed beaches. Average temperatures ranges between 23 degree and 33 degree.

Renting a Phuket Villa can be a daunting task, with literally thousands to choose from on the island, and more appearing every day it can be a difficult choice for many. Phuket villas come in all styles, sizes and in different locations around the island, from hill top locations offering panoramic views of the islands and the Andaman Sea, to beach front beach villas providing instant access to powdery white sand and azure calm seas.

When choosing a luxury villa guests must decide whether they want solitude or a more hectic atmosphere with hustle and bustle of street markets and beach activities. Luxury villas on the east coast offer the kind of peace and quiet that is more akin to Samui or Krabi. There is a sense of remoteness here, with traditional Thai fishing villages, and quiet serene beaches dotted along the coast.

The West coast is the far more recognized and notorious part of the island with luxury villas concentrated in Patong, Kamala, and Surin areas. Karon and Kata beaches also have some excellent choices for beach front accommodation. Villa estates such as The Samsara Estate, Phuket Pavilions, Baan Thai Surin Hill and The Plantation are gaining international recognition for their excellence both in terms of quality of surroundings and quality of service and value offered.

More secluded resorts nestle higher up amongst the trees in the center of this island, capitalizing on the wonderful sea and mountain views. With some of the most famous golfing in the world, Phuket villas in these locations are popular options for golfing fanatics. With such a developed infrastructure nothing is more than a 20 minute drive from these hill top locations.
With space becoming a commodity in much of Phuket, the South - once a neglected part of Phuket - is becoming more and more popular and with much more affordable prices than their more famous West coast counterparts. The 40 minute drive from the airport is enough to put most off traveling so far down the island, but those that do find beautiful beaches and headlands, great restaurants and their luxury villas amenities match anything on the island.

As people seek a new getaway for their vacation, resorts including Andaman Cove have become extremely popular offering not only luxury accommodation but amenities such as tennis courts, kid’s clubs and trips to private islands offering their guests that something extra that few other places provide at such great value.

MyAsianVilla.com is a vacation site for real time rentals of luxurious vacation villas in Phuket and Ko Samui, Thailand. Plan your dream vacation in Thailand, faster and easier than ever through with My Asian Villas - Luxury villa rentals in Phuket

If there is one thing that defines our human nature clearly it is stuff. We have houses full of things to aid and comfort us. Many have cars with their gadgets on seats, in glove compartments and filling up trunk space. So when we travel, it’s not a big surprise we want to take our stuff with us. In fact, the only thing we don’t want to do with our stuff is lose it. We lock our houses, we lock our cars and now when we travel there are many ways we can lock up our stuff and keep it secure.

TSA Approved Travel Locks

Locking your luggage is a practice as old as luggage itself. After 9/11 locking your luggage became a little more complex. Officers from the Transportation and Safety Administration (TSA) needed to search each and every piece of luggage to ensure passenger safety. That’s fine for carry-on totes, but checked luggage also needed to be checked, and the locks on the suitcase left open or cut off. Now there is a solution so you can lock your bags and have them safety checked. Magellan Travel Company markets TSA approved locks. Equipped with a mechanism that is only able to be opened by a special key all TSA members have, the locks secure the bags from being opened from anyone but your inspector and you.

The Lock Alarm

A travel tool with two uses is always great because its one less thing you have to pack. A company named Travel Tools, whose items are usually seen in the SkyMall in the seat pockets of airlines, sells the Lock Alarm. This plastic coated steel alarm consists of a 24 inch steel cable that loops into the handle of your bag to keep it secure. It releases with a combination lock. It also contains a 100 decibel alarm if anyone cuts the cord or disturbs the lock without the combination. It is not for use during air travel because it is not TSA approved. But once you arrive at your destination you can secure your luggage or things at that time. An added bonus to the proximity alarm is that you can loop the handle around your doorknob at night and be alerted is someone tries to enter your room.

Smart Jewelry Boxes

Several travel companies have offered different jewelry boxes and cases for transport. These “smart boxes” are usually lined with velvet keep your jewelry from getting scratched on the sometime bumpy flights and rides you encounter and some have pegs and placement devices to the necklaces aren’t all tangled up in one undoable knot when you arrive. The locks on these boxes vary from a simply key lock or combination tumbler to a high-end thumbprint based lock with emergency key access. Jewelry is a pricey investment to take on travel and keeping it locked both in your luggage and in your hotel is a wise choice.

Even if we take a trip by ourselves we will never be truly alone when we travel. With these locking devices securely in place we can be sure to keep all our stuff.

James Brown writes about TripSync coupon, Priceline.com coupon code and TACA.COM coupon codes

Celebrate Canada’s unofficial start to summer each year on the Victoria Day long weekend, with free music and street entertainment throughout Whistler Village, and incredible spring specials on golf, dining, spas, shopping and whistler accommodations - all adding up to the ultimate spring getaway. It is a great time of year to book luxury accommodation in Whistler, with prices representing great value for money.

Whistler boasts four golf courses featuring sprawling fairways and spectacular views of the region’s snow-capped mountains. Area lakes, mountain streams, stands of ancient cedars and forested course borders offer shelter for local wildlife such as brown bears, coyote, beaver, deer, birds and more. With average summer temperatures ranging from 9 to 23 degrees Celsius (48 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and some of the longest days of the year May through August, players can golf from dawn to dusk and log up to three rounds daily.

With all four Whistler-area signature golf courses open as of May 4, it’s time to get swinging in Whistler. The fantastic golf courses include the centrally located Whistler Golf Club, the impeccable Nicklaus North Golf Course on the shores of beautiful Green Lake, the stunning mountain-side Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club and the Big Sky Golf and Country Club, situated in nearby Pemberton at the foot of majestic Mount Currie. Many of the courses feature luxury chalets for rent conveniently located on the doorsteps of the courses.

Beyond championship golf however, the amenities of this pristine, four-season resort destination have helped turn Whistler into a golf mecca. Luxury accommodation, delectable dining, sensational shopping and rejuvenating spas are just a taste of what Whistler has to offer. Many of the Whistler chalets lead right onto the golf courses meaning guests can spend as much time as possible doing what they love the most.

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park also gears up for daily action starting May 19. Perhaps the most anticipated opening since the start of ski season in November, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park is famous the world over for its adrenaline-gushing, gravity-fed mountain descents and more than 200 kilometres of mountain bike trails suitable for beginners, pros and everyone in between.

It may be spring, but it sounds like summer in Whistler Village. Throughout the weekend the pedestrian streets of Whistler light up as musicians and entertainers bring their magic touch to herald the start of a new season. Watch for belly dancers and jugglers but don’t miss the deals as the Whistler Sidewalk Sale hits the streets for the May long weekend. Participating area retailers throughout the village are set to offer gear and gifts of all sorts at unbeatable end-of-season sale prices.

For those seeking another scenic route to Whistler, besides driving the awe-inspiring Sea to Sky Highway or enjoying the bird’s eye view from helicopter or float plane, the Whistler Mountaineer offers the perfect solution. Launching its second season of service on May 1 and operating through October 14, the Whistler Mountaineer provides an incomparable way to travel between the two world-class destinations of Vancouver and Whistler. Be sure to check out these great activities and more during your Whistler vacation!

Skiatwhistler.com offers real time bookings of premium properties in the world class ski resort of Whistler, British Columbia. Our business is to market property rentals in Whistler to high end vacationers in order to maximize property owners’ return on investment (ROI).

Thailand, Siam, The land of smiles, situated in the heart of Southeast Asia, with a highly inspiring culture and something for everyone has made it a very appreciated tourist attraction for decades. From Bangkok with its rich heritage of ancient architecture merged with today’s traffic jams and skyscrapers to the green paradise-like tropical islands in the south and the rolling hills and fertile valleys of the north, Thailand will be the most exciting and magical adventure which you’ll never forget.

Located 862 kilometers south of Bangkok is Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, which is often dubbed as the pearl of the Andaman, or the pearl of the south. Its natural resources- rocky peninsular, limestone cliffs, white powdery beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests contribute to making it the South’s wealthiest, busiest, most visited and most popular island and province.

Patong Beach is the most developed, most vibrant, most visited beach of Phuket that never fails to impress visitors. Located approximately 15 kilometers from the city, the beach has a wide range of accommodations and shopping arcades, and provides magnificent leisure activities and energetic night-time entertainment. It is a picture perfect postcard view of a 3-kilometer long white sandy beach that is perfect for swimming, lazing, and enjoying challenging water sports such as jet skiing, windsurfing snorkeling, sailing, and parasailing. On the hills behind Patong you will find Phuket villa rentals which rank amongst the best in the world. The rich and famous from all of the world come here to enjoy the stunning beaches and sample the vibrant nightlight which Patong is famous for.

Also popular is Karon beach, located south of Patong Beach, Hat Karon is a curving beach that lies beautifully in the sun with small sand dunes, casuarinas and palm trees. The crescent bay is the beach’s signature that drawing travelers attention. From May to October, the beach may be affected by serious undertows, as the bay open. Watch out for those warning flags before going swimming or surfing at the southern end of the beach.

During the high season, the beach is ideal for relaxation, swimming or sunbathing. A wide range of accommodations, from top-end to budget and mid-range, are available. Other facilities such as nightclubs, restaurants and other evening entertainment are located along the beachfront road. Again, luxury Phuket villas are dotted along this beautiful stretch of coast, offering great accessibility to Phukets attractions.

Thailand constantly is winning awards for its tourism infrastructure, recently The Swedish travel publication, Travel News, recently presented the annual Grand Travel Award - the equivalent of the travel and tourism industry’s ‘Oscars’ - for the fifteenth consecutive year.

Thailand ranked first in the “World’s Best Tourist Country” category, making this the fifth consecutive year that Thailand has won the Swedish Grand Travel Award. The other top ten travel destinations deemed to be popular with Swedish travelers include South Africa, the United States, Italy, China, Greece, Denmark, Spain, France and Croatia. Other awards include Asia’s very own award-winning luxury travel and lifestyle magazine, DestinAsian, awarding Bangkok with ‘Best Leisure DestinAsian City’ and The Oriental Bangkok won the DestinAsian ‘Best Hotel, Bangkok’ award.

From Bangkok, guests are spoiled for choice when it comes to luxury villas for rent. Stunning locations are within hours of the capitol making weekend breaks very popular these days, High flying professionals can fly in from Hong Kong and be relaxing beside their private pool a their Thailand villa in no time, and enjoying the Thai pace of life.

MyAsianVilla.com is a vacation site for real time rentals of luxurious vacation villas in Phuket and Ko Samui, Thailand. Plan your dream vacation in Thailand, faster and easier than ever through with My Asian Villas - Luxury villa rentals in Phuket