Travel Vacations tips

Archive for July, 2010

Grimentz – A Gem On The Swiss Haute Route

The Haute Route is the classic trekking route from Chamonix to Zermatt connecting Mont Blanc with the Matterhorn. Along the way pass by 10 of the 12 highest peaks in the Alps. The scenery is spectacular to be sure but just the chance to immerse yourself in the history and traditional cultures of the Alps is just as compelling a reason to take a hiking tour of the Swiss Alps along the Haute Route.

While there are many charming hamlets villages and full blown resorts along the Haute Route none has more historic and cultural appeal than Grimentz. The town of Grimentz is located in the immense Val d’Annviers in the Frenchspeaking part of the Valais canton. The valley divides into two fingers the Zinal Valley and the Moiry Valley. Both are beautiful but if mountain scenery and glaciers is what you’re after the Moiry Valley is the clear choice with the accessible Moiry Glacier and icefall at the head.

On the western slope of the Moiry Valley the town of Grimentz lies at 1570 m. If you are hiking the Haute Route consider a stop preferably overnight in this lovely and bustling town. If you’re hiking west to east as most Haute Route hikers do you will have crossed over either the Col du Tsat or the Col de Torrent and then made a descent to Lac de Moiry. From either the Glacier Parking or the Dam you can take the postbus directly to the center of Grimentz or you can walk downstream about two hours to Grimentz.

Grimentz is a wonderful blend of new and old ancient houses granaries and community buildings set among modern chaletstyled inns and shops and vibrantly decorated with geraniums and other flowers on nearly every building in the village. You’ll see a number buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th century and one from as early as 1510.

In its day Grimentz was a center of rye farming and milling and the old mill has been restored along the course of the Marais. Although the church was rebuilt in 1950 it was built with the original steeple dating to 1831 and an adjacent vicarage from the same period. A winery is also located in the historic center of town. The principle community building of Grimentz is the 15th century Burgher’s House which was the center of village life. Guided tours are offered on a regular basis and can be arranged at the town’s visitor information center.

After a day in Grimentz you can continue your lt;a href=”http://www.alpenwild.com” target=”_new”gt;Haute Route hikelt;/agt;by continuing on to Zinal St Luc or other traditional stops along the Haute Route. But on a route filled with scenic mountain vistas Grimentz is a refreshing and culturally rich addition to your hike on the Haute Route.

About the writer:  Greg Witt adventure guide and author lives the adventures he writes about. He is the author of Ultimate Adventures: A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel and 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Salt Lake . His adventure travel company Alpenwild specializes in hiking trekking and photographic adventures in the Alps. Greg is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association.

The Importance Of Taking The Right Backpacking Supplies

One of the most important things when going on any type of hiking or camping trip is knowing what sort of food and essentials to take with you. Carrying the right Backpacking Supplies can make all the difference to your trip. Get it right and you will have a safe fun trip. Get it wrong and you could be hungry and thirsty making the whole experience a nightmare.

Firstly plan your backpacking trip very carefully so you know exactly how long you will be gone for especially if you are going to be out of range of anywhere to restock your supplies. This way you can break your supplies down into what you will need on a daily basis. Always remember to pack slightly more than you think you will need in case of emergencies.

Water is properly the most important thing that you will need to carry. Unless your route will allow you to top up on the way or if you have with you the right equipment to filter and sterilise any that you find on the way i.e. Rivers or lakes etc. then you will have to carry all you need for the duration of your trip. Carry as much as you can is the best tip.

Next comes your food. The best way to know what to bring with you is to break it down into individual days. I.e. Breakfast Main meal Supper and snacks for during the day.You should also consider taking MultiVitamins as these can give your body a vital boost when on hiking rations. Then simply multiply it by the number of days that you will be away. Dehydrated meals are very good and they are also very light but do not rely solely on these as they take precious drinking water to prepare. Always include things that can be eaten as is just in case of a shortage of water.

As well as your water and food do not forget that you will need other supplies. Things like a decent First Aid Kit are an absolute must and should include such items as

Bandages for sprains etc.

Assorted plaster for minor cuts and scrapes.

Safety pins.

Pain killers.

Blister kit for those sore feet.

Antiseptic ointment.

Plus any personal medication.

And dont forget things like spare batteries for torches and spare fuel for your cooking stove as these also make up what should be part of your backpacking supplies. Spare fuel is especially important as having food but not being able to cook it can be just as bad as having no food at all.

Using a few simple tips like these will give you a better idea of what to take with you to insure a safe happy backpacking trip. Try to think ahead and anticipate any problems or shortages and then pack accordingly.This way you will always take the right Backpacking Supplies.

About the writer:  Mike Legg is a seasoned hiker and backpacker.For more Backpacking Tips go to http://www.buytryreview.com/category/backpacking

A Private Jet Flight-Make Worth Of Your Travels

Traveling by business class all the time may be something very costly to certain people especially if they are frequent travelers. Imagine once you travel you pay almost a thousand dollars and in a month you travel almost four to five times; eventually you end up paying almost the equivalence of buying a lowend car. For this reason a private jet flight is always encouraged for business and frequent travelers regardless of how long the distance you travel may be.

Comparison with Public Flights

There are two things which matter most when it comes to show why traveling by a private jet flight is more efficient and far better than traveling by a commercial public flight. First is the cost as said before and secondly it is the time spent waiting at the terminal or departure hall. Cost here would include the ticket price getting to the airport by various forms of transport such as taxi bus or train cost of transport after reaching the destination and others.

Time spent waiting goes without saying. Most of the time when it comes to public commercial flights most of your time is wasted especially waiting at the departure hall going through the hectic luggage system along with hundreds or even thousands of others going through the hogging security system which sometimes would take your patience away and many more.

The worst part of it nowadays after the incident of September 11 the security system at all airports has become very troublesome indeed. Starting in the year 2001 you have to be at least 2 or 3 hours earlier than your flight time.

Benefits

Compared to this troublesome system that you have to get used to when you are traveling on your own private jet flight you can basically travel at your own pace meaning to say that you set the timing according to your schedule and the availability of the private jet by certain companies.

The best part of traveling by a private jet flight is that the jet would usually be at a private terminal compared to the common departure terminal. And when you arrive according to the set time you can straightaway go there and go through several security checks and luggage checks which does not take more than 15 to 30 minutes in total. Traveling by a private jet flight would mean that you can simply arrive punctually 10 or 15 minutes before the flight time allowing for your luggage to be set out properly and all the simplified procedures to be carried out.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Rohit Chopra has written several useful articles on monetary topics likePrivate JetsPrivate Jet CharterPrivate Jet RentalAircraft Jet Private etc. Get moreuseful information on Private Jets at http://www.luxurycarriers.com