·ÂVisit the state capital, Melbourne. No visit to Victoria is complete without visiting Melbourne, and there are countless attractions waiting to be explored. The city centre has plenty of must visit sites such as the Crown Casino, theÂMelbourne Museum, Melbourne Zoo, and the Melbourne Aquarium. Other areas to consider visiting are the area around St KildaÂhome to the world famous Luna Park and the wonderful beach. Other tourist icons to visit in the city are the National Gallery of Victoria,ÂMelbourne Cricket GroundsÂ(known as the MCG) and also theÂEureka TowerÂa 300 metre skyscraper which is the tallest building in the Southern hemisphere! ·ÂTake a trip to the former Goldfields Region in Victoria and follow the “G” route — by following signposts along the route that have a golden “G” displayed on them, you will be visiting the most prominent heritage towns and villages of the region.

The most important places along this route include Ballarat, Creswick, Castlemaine, Maldon, Bendigo, Avoca, and Ararat. Learn all about the Victoria Gold Rush, and take a trip back in time! Just take the Western Freeway from Melbourne and you are on the “G” Route! ·ÂVisit the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum Complex and you will learn all about the history of the dangerous southern coast of Victoria, which claimed many lives and sea faring vessels. The museum is designed in 19th century coastal port style, and the recreation is outstanding — learn all about the history of the area from the shipwrecks to the way of life of the Flagstaff inhabitants! ·ÂEnjoy a trip to Healesville Sanctuary.

A day trip to the Healesville Sanctuary will give you a total experience of Australian wildlife, and you will hear the sights and sounds of bushlife! Here you will come close to over 200 species of Australian fauna, from koala bears, to emus to wombats! ·ÂTake a tour of the Mornington Peninsula and experience the natural beauty of this part of the Victoria state. The Mornington Peninsula travels south eastwards from Melbourne City along the picturesque shores of Port Phillip Bay. Visit the wonderful golden beaches at Frankston, Portsea, Sorrento, Flinders and Somers Beach.

 Check out the Red Hill Winery area. A visit to the scenic Arthur’s Seat will afford you great views of the Mornington Bay area, and Melbourne itself. ·ÂIf you’re into wine tasting and consumption in marvellous surroundings, visit the Yarra Valley Wine Region.Some of the highlights of this region include a trip to the Katandra Gardens where you will learn about the wondrous Australian landscape and flowers, and some wonderful National Parks such as the Dandenong Ranges National Park and the Lake Mountain Resort.

You could also fit in a hot air balloon trip of the Yarra Valley. ·ÂA trip to Otway Fly Tree Top Walk along the Great Ocean Road, will take you up to 30 metres above ground level for the longest tree top trek in the world! Enjoy the thrill of the long walk as you move along the treetops! ·ÂDrive along the Great Ocean Road which is located 100km to the south west of Melbourne — it is one of the most scenic driving routes in the world and stretches for over 270km. The most famous tourist sight along the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles which are giant rock formations, which rise from the sea and are part of the Port Campbell National Park.

The views are breathtaking, there attractions along the Great Ocean Road endless, from surfing to boat trips to water sports! ·ÂTake a trip along the scenic Bellarine PeninsulaÂwhich has so much to offer the tourist such as Fort Queenscliff, Queenscliff Maritime Museum and the steam trains of Bellarine Peninsula Railway. ·ÂAnd last but not least, no trip to the state of Victoria is complete without a trip of the Puffing Billy Steam Railway. The Puffing Billy is Australia’s oldest surviving and preserved steam train.

Enjoy a 25 km journey through forest vegetation and lush green fields. It is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the Dandenong Mountain Ranges, and you will go from Belgrave to Emerald Lake Park and Gembrook. What could be better than enjoying the fine dining on the train, and watch the wonderful scenery as the train passes through each scenic location. The Puffing Billy runs each day except Christmas Day. The best way to explore the beautiful region of Victoria is to hire a car. For the best in car rental deals, reserve Car Hire Melbourne.

John writes for Novacarhire.com – an independent car hire reservation website where you can book low cost car hire at over 5,000 locations worldwide.

The two hottest trends in travel right now are adventure travel and eco-travel. These two subsets have seen a dramatic upsurge in traffic in recent years. Some combination of the two is the Holy Grail that many tour companies are actively pursuing and fine-tuning. The problem is that these tours are expensive. Going it alone is an even more difficult prospect. The majority of us sit in our cubicles and dream of doing something outrageous. We watch television programs about partaking in the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race (skiing to the South Pole).

We see travel programs about people bicycling across Africa, riding mopeds across Mongolia, or rowing across the Pacific. In response, we sit on our duffs and tell ourselves that we do not have the money, we do not have the time, and the destination is too far away. This, however, is not always true. There are a bunch of adventures you can undertake require just five days or so, and are located right in your own backyard!

If you live on the East Coast, you might want to think about driving up to Quebec and the Maritime provinces.

This is not particularly adventurous, but it is especially beautiful. However, the driving can become significantly more interesting if you decide to hop on the ferry from Nova Scotia and head to Newfoundland. Depending on the time of year, this can become a true adventure very quickly. It is easy to get yourself lost in Central Newfoundland, in a whiteout blizzard, being in the middle of absolutely nowhere. The only creature that will hear your pleas for help will be the moose blocking your path, whose silhouette you can barely make out in the total whiteout.

If your thirst for adventure has not yet been quenched, you have a few more days, and you are willing to venture further out, you can get a ferry ride to the Trans-Labrador highway. This is where the fun really begins. The route is not even entirely connected yet! Supposedly, it will be completed this month, but I would advise against holding your breath. When completed, the route will make for an epic journey to ends of Northeastern civilization in North America. Think of it: NYC to Maine to Nova Scotia to Newfoundland to the Labrador Coast (Happy Valley-Goose Bay) to Labrador City to Quebec to NYC.

There’s a really interesting travel guide on extreme adventures that fleshes these routes out in full. Another great one, if you live on the West Coast, is to drive the Ice Road to Tuktoyaktuk, high in the Canadian Arctic, just like in Ice Road Truckers. Better yet, be like Jesse James and do it on a motorcycle. Again, something you can do in your own backyard, and which surprisingly does not cost that much money.

I have to say, though, one of the absolute best kept secrets, if you live on the West Coast and want a wilderness driving adventure, has to be the Oregon Back Country Discovery Route.

This is not actively discussed, at least not in public forums such as the internet. The state of Oregon actually spent money to REMOVE all the signage only a year after the trail opened in 1999. You can read more about the OBCDR: Oregon Back Country Discovery Route here, but the basic gist is that you can drive from California to Washington, entirely through the woods. Almost entirely off-road, through stunning scenery, you should bring a chainsaw and towing chains, as you will most likely have to chop/drag debris out of your way at some stage in the journey.

The route stretches nearly 1000 miles through Oregon’s barely distinguishable Forest Service trails. Explorers who have done it want to keep the secret to themselves, and environmentalists are not too happy about the state’s tacit promotion of Off Highway Vehicle use. It is true, the noise pollution, toxic emissions, and general havoc off-road machines wreak on the landscape might not be the best thing when one is trying to admire nature’s beauty. But it makes it so much easier, which causes a constant battle, a moral dilemma.

Personally, my eco-awareness falls into a special category I like to call “moral flexibility,” so I would definitely do it, but feel a little guilty afterwards. Perhaps I would feel better by running biodiesel instead of petro-diesel in the lifted rock-crawling monster I would bring to the trail. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. While usage of the trail is still allowed, however, this backyard adventure is definitely near the top of my list.

The point of all of this is that some adventures ARE within your grasp.

We are all very good at creating roadblocks for ourselves or assuming things to be much too difficult. We hamstring ourselves before we even start. But with a suitable vehicle, a little planning, and a GPS unit, you too can embark on an epic journey… and be back to work a week later!

George likes to travel. Generally, the more exotic, the better, but George is equally comfortable sampling fine wines in the Piedmont of Italy and hiking 25 miles a day in the Western Saharan sun.

Travel Guides, Tours and Tour Reviews!

A trip to Boise, Idaho will be perfect if you stay in a hotel with affordable rates. It will be one of your most memorable vacations.

When looking for a lowest rate hotels and accommodation or even cheap flights with discounted car rentals and cruises all around the world, Boise Hotels helps you to find some suppliers and best deals for everyone. They give out packaged discounts to accommodate more visitors in Boise, Idaho.

Doubletree Club Boise Hotel

One of the most popular hotels in Idaho is this Doubletree Club Boise located near the Boise River.

It is just a minute drive away from the Idaho State Capitol and Boise State University. Adjacent to Bogus Basin Ski area and other popular places like the Morrison Center of the Performing Arts, the Zoo Boise and the historical Museum of Boise Art. Doubletree Club Boise has a lot to offer from shuttle bus services to a prominent and elegant hotel accommodation.

Doubletree Club Boise hotel guest rooms features double queen size bed, high count thread beddings and pillows, down comforter, mattresses, dual telephone lines, working desk and chair with ready outlets and data port, coffeemaker, iron and board, climate control, hairdryer, in room safes, cabled television, Nintendo games cubes, complimentary news paper, and complimentary high speed internet connection in every room.

They also have the facilities for special events like meetings, reunion, weddings and business gatherings. Guest will have their easy access to the hotels fitness and health center, salon and beauty shops, indoor restaurants and bars, nearby golf courses, indoor ice skating area and their indoor swimming pool.

The Doubletree Club Boise hotel also features some suites and accessible rooms for special guests with disabilities. All suites are located on the 6th floor looking the whole city and the magnificent mountainous view of Idaho.

Each rooms has its own personal refrigerator, coffeemaker, iron and iron board, double king size bed, pillows and mattresses, hairdryer, microwave, cable channel with flat screen television and complimentary high speed internet connection.

Other amenities include an air conditioning, clock radio w/ MP3 connection, complimentary remote printing, handheld shower, Neutrogena, complete set of branded bathroom toiletries, and smoke free facilities.

Residence Inn Boise Central

Located at the capital boulevard Residence Inn Boise Central is peacefully built in front of Ann Morrison Park, adjacent to the downtown of Boise and Bodo where shopping malls and high class restaurants can be seen.

The busy downtown is nearby the Boise State University and the Boise River Greenbelt.

This hotel brings out the newly and modern architectural design for business and leisure accommodation, for busy guest and working individuals. Residence Inn guests will have easy access to the hotel’s premium facilities like open air workout center for fitness and health enthusiasts, a beauty salon and spa, a heated pool, and jetted hot tubs.

Rooms and suites are well decorated and accentuated with fully furnished furniture, complete beddings and mattresses with high count threading, down comforter, plush pillows, sofa bed, sliding door bathroom with hot tub, branded set of toiletries, make up mirror, hairdryer, coffeemaker, safes, working tables and chair, complimentary uninterrupted internet connection and dual telephone lines.

Other hotel amenities include 24 hours concierge staff, spacious suites, complimentary buffet breakfast, air conditioning, individual climate control in rooms, coffee maker, baby cribs, rollaway beds, radio/alarm clock, iron and ironing board, 24 hour security service, valet/parking service, 24 hours room service, smoke free rooms and facilities, cable TV, hot tub/Jacuzzi, and a fireplace.

The kitchens are complete with an oven, dishwasher, microwave oven, pots, pans, serving dishes, refrigerator, and toaster.

For more information on Boise Hotels and Boise Hotels Flightsplease visit our website.