Life Changes
Volunteer work abroad has always been popular with young people. As the gap year phenomenon has increased, more and more youngsters defer going to further education by a year or two and are looking for something to fill this time. But it’s not just them. As we all live longer and face more career changes, there’s an increased desire to try something new. For the fifty year old woman whose children have flown the nest to the 60 year old man who is retiring but still as fit as a fiddle, volunteering abroad offers a great opportunity to see the world and do something new.

Integrated Travel
One reason we have seen such an increase in volunteer work is because of extended periods of travel. Anyone going abroad for more than a few months may feel that it’s important to do something rewarding during this time. Volunteering offers the chance to undertake some hard work that helps others less fortunate whilst discovering new places at the same time. It’s also due to an increased awareness of responsible travel. When enjoying another country it’s important to give them something back when you can. A spot of volunteering during an extended period of travel gives a trip a sense of purpose. Volunteering abroad often creates lifelong memories, friendships and great stories to tell.

Internet & Awareness
Thanks to the internet there is an increased awareness of the plights of others. Due to social media, instant news and global information, we have access to more information than ever before. This has opened the eyes of many people and encouraged them to go abroad and help others.

The other way the internet has increased the popularity of volunteer work is that the vast range of projects and travel options can be more easily researched and compared. Booking a volunteer trip can be done online and therefore easily integrated into a longer travelling experience.

Skills & Experience
Some young people see volunteering as a good way to gain extra skills and this is certainly one reason why there is such growing business in volunteering. It’s not always easy to gain the experience and skills needed to sell oneself in the jobs market, so volunteering can offer a clever way to gain this. Prospective employers are often impressed when they see volunteer work on a CV as it demonstrates passion, selflessness and an ability to work hard.

Over the next few years we will probably see even more business in the volunteering sector especially in projects abroad. Volunteer work will increase as people look for more fulfilling ways to spend their holidays or fill breaks during a career change. As young people wish to build up their skill set and gain a richer life experience, volunteering projects will continue to benefit from their natural curiosity and energy.

AUTHOR BIO

John McQueen is a travel writer with experience of volunteer work abroad. With more than 20 years experience, John contributes regularly to both travel and volunteer websites.

The annual one-day competition is expected to attract foreign and Vietnamese participants from provinces and cities nationwide, according to the event’s organizing committee.

The winner will be awarded VND10 million (US$476), while second and third places have an award of VND5 million ($238) and VND3 million ($143), respectively.

The Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort also announced its summer promotion programme running during the kite competition. Tourists who book a four-night stay at the resort during the period between May 3 to October 31 will get one night free.

* Vinpearl to host Asian food promotion

The Da Nang-based Vinpearl Luxury restaurant will host an Asian food promotion from April 23 to 30.

During this time, the restaurant will cater daily and nightly buffets with various traditional delicacies from Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, China and Japan.

Chef Halim from Malaysia will impress gourmets with dishes such as Nasi Briyani, Penang Laksa, Prawn Percik and Pasembur at the restaurant on Truong Sa Street, Da Nang City.

(source: Vietnamnet.vn)

Privacy is the special key of Vacation homes. You of course, cannot compromise with your privacy status on vacation. Unlike then the hotel rooms, there will be no noise of other tourists and you can enjoy the separate peaceful stay. You can also avail different amenities in these homes. You can get your personal pools and hot tubs for enjoying the lavish holidays.

Beaches Vacation homes are the most demanding. If you are also planning to enjoy your holidays near the beaches make advance booking. It is very difficult to get the vacation home near beaches at the eleventh hour. Advance booking will always work for you. Additionally, if you are visiting the place with the extended family or friends then go for booking the private villas. They have wide accommodation space that can easily encounter every one. These private units are also available near the beaches. You can select the vicinity as par your desires.

Another plus point of booking the Vacation homes is affordable prices. If you have planned to stay for longer time duration, then these homes are the best choice. You can hire the villa for as much time as you want. You can use the kitchen for cooking the food. You can use the laundry machine for washing the clothes. You can enjoy the surround sound system. You can enjoy your separate pools and hot tubs. You can avail the private playing areas for the kids, in these homes.

Cost is the basic issue. Vacation houses for rent offer different prices. You can cut down the un-necessary amenities for low cost homes. The amenities include internet facilities, separate pools, driver with car, maid, gaming room, hot tubs, security guard, chef and other facilities. You can enjoy the impressive house with kitchen, utensils, microwave ovens, washing machine, surround sound systems, home theaters etc.

The cost of the Vacation homes can also be decreased with the locality. If you will hire the rental homes in the mid of the city it will cost you more prices. You can hire it in the corner of the city or even 5 to 10 minuets away from the city. This will decrease your living cost up to 25 to 30 percent. Just make sure that the area you have selected must have easy access to the transportation system. So you can get in the main city area, easily. Enjoy your vacation in these flawless rentals.

Hong Kong International Airport is one of the world’s best. It received the prestigious honour of Airport of the Year at the 2011 World Airport Awards in Copenhagen. The airport operates 24 hours a day and receives flights from throughout the world. Nearly 100 different airlines serve the airport, and it was the 11th busiest in the world in 2010 with more than 50 million passengers.

There are several airlines that fly from Australia into Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific flies from Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Perth. Qantas has flights from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Virgin Atlantic Airways has service to Sydney. Hong Kong flights also arrive from cities as far away as New York and London.

The easiest way to get into Hong Kong from the airport is to take the Airport Express train. It runs every 10-12 minutes and has a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per hour. It takes 24 minutes to reach Hong Kong Station, which is underneath the International Finance Centre. Another transportation option from the airport is taking a bus with Citybus or Long Win, as both offer spectacular views as you make your way into the city.

Australians and citizens of the European Union may stay up to 90 days in Hong Kong without a visa. The maximum visa-free stay allowed for a full citizen of the United Kingdom is 180 days. Citizens from most countries are allowed to remain in Hong Kong for at least 14 days without a visa. Visitors need to be careful of their entry and departure dates, as overstaying in Hong Kong may result in fines up to $50,000 and/or an imprisonment period of up to three years.

Although the city is known as a metropolis of concrete structures, it has a significant amount of beautiful scenery. In fact, more than 70 percent of Hong Kong consists of natural settings, including parks set in the country and of the marine variety. Hong Kong Wetland Park has a large visitor centre and a wetland reserve of significant size.

Cruises to Alaska may offer trips up the inside passage and the Gulf of Alaska, and trips to Glacier Bay National Park. Alaska is the wildest territory of the United States and on an Alaska Cruise guest will view majestic, sparkling glaciers, wildlife, and marine life in abundance. Guests may also take advantage of experts that come onboard to talk about the history of Alaska and native culture, park rangers that talk about wildlife and geographic features and even a winner of the famed Iditarod dog sled race sharing their race experiences. One may also combine cruising with land excursions, via rail, with stays at Princess wilderness lodges.

Cruising Asia, India, and Africa on a Sea Princess excursion offers an amazing array of unique and exciting experiences. In Southeast Asia and China one may visit Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and China. Temples, monks, ancient cultures, natural beauty, art, festivals, and busy metropolis cities will fill one’s senses. Yet another itinerary offers visits to ports in Cambodia, Thailand, Mumbai, and Singapore to experience gilded temples, monks, perfectly pristine gardens and Khmer architecture.

Choose a cruise to China and the Far East to visit Beijing and the Forbidden City, Shanghai, offering an interesting mix of modern skyscrapers and ancient temples and Taipei, a city offering an amazing collection of Chinese treasures. On the Best of China Cruise delighted travelers will visit Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. Imagine and army of hundreds and hundreds of life-size warriors. Also visit the Great Wall of China, on of man’s most incredible architectural feats, and the beautiful summer palace, ancient resort to China’s emperors and royal families. For a completely different experience in China choose a cruise on the Yangtze River to travel through the Three Gorges Dam and ship locks.

Cruise to Australia and New Zealand offer amazingly unique scenery and unusual cultural experiences with visits to Fjordland National Park, Ayers Rock a revered spiritual destination, the Australian Outback, and the Great Barrier Reef. Cruise to the port cities of Auckland, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane, and Tauranga each offering delightful experiences.

Sea Princess also offers World Cruises listing from 16-34 days and visiting ports on nearly every continent on earth. Just imagine how fulfilled one’s mind and spirit will be touched on such a cruise and basically all one has to do is hop on board and relax.

It is possible to find a company where you can hire all your equipment. You can find exceptional quality equipment all from the same manufacturer. If you are flying down to Australia specifically for hiking, do not bring your own hiking gear from home. The quality of Australian gear will be best without carrying gears from home and will be saving money.

Some of the important tips on visiting Australia are to make sure your tent can withstand Australian winds and rain. Various campsites have items to sell such as camping food, snacks, wine as well as, a beer. Prepare to hike 6 to 8 hours daily and identify ways to keep the food proportion to a minimum, but most importantly make sure you are getting the required calories to replenish your energy sources due to the cold temperatures. Drink water drawn from small streams that flow down the mountains to avoid constipation.

A campervan hire Australia has come up to be an excellent mode of travel. You only need to unpack and pack once, your kitchen travels along with you. One vital aspect of Australia camper trips is that we do not spend our nights in American-style parks. More often than not people just find an isolated parking area off a dirt road somewhere, which is legally accepted practice on Australia National Forest lands. In addition, you will also discover that foreign or extremely remote motorhome hire Australia have a quite different feel. They have a different experience that what you would get from the other places you visit. Each is unique on its own.

If you are looking for campervan hire Melbourne or campervan hire Tasmania please visit website: discovery-campervans.com.au.

The flight route will operate twice weekly a week on Monday and Thursday by an Airbus 320 aircraft with 12 business seats and 138 economy seats.

On the occasion of the launch, TransAsia Airways in Hanoi offered discounts on round-trip tickets for the Hanoi – Kaohsiung route at a cost of VND 8.15 million (USD 388).

Southeast Asia is an active aviation market and is the most developing market in the region as well as in the world, said TransAsia Airways. Accordingly, the new flight from Hanoi to Kaohsiung is part of the five-year development plan of the airline, showing its ambition in the Asian market.

Over the past few years, Taiwan was amongst the top countries and territories with the largest investment capital in Vietnam. The trading and travel demand as well as the human resource exchange between Vietnam and Taiwan is rapidly increasing.

(Source: CPV)

The information was released yesterday by the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee at a press conference announcing the fair.

The annual event, held jointly by Quang Ninh province in Vietnam and Guangxi province in China, aims to promote trade and tourism between the two areas and create good opportunities for enterprises from both countries to expand their business.

This year’s fair, on the theme of ‘Integration and Development’, will highlight a wide variety of sectors including rubber processing, coal production, and cement manufacturing, as well as wooden furniture, agricultural products, processed foods, machinery, equipment, and tourism services.

Workshops, cultural exchanges and a Vietnam-China friendship tennis tournament will also be held within the framework of the fair.

(Source: Nhan Dan)

Bernard Weber, Chairman of the New Open World organization, which is hosting the vote, handed over the certificate to Quang Ninh province on Sept. 27.

Weber said Halong Bay’s natural beauty made a strong impression on him the first time he visited the site. He also promised to vote for Halong to become a new natural wonder of the world.

According to Pham Minh Chinh, Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee Secretary, many methods for voting will be utilized in the final stages, including via SMS message.

He said Quang Ninh province will invest in tourism infrastructure and services and take measures to protect the environment in Halong Bay with the aim of turning the site into an attractive destination for domestic and foreign visitors.

The final result of the voting campaign for the New 7 Wonders of the World will be officially announced on November 1.

(Source: VNA)

Coming to Halong Bay, you should not miss one of the best Halong Bay Trips for 2 or 3 days with an overnight on boat!

The event, jointly organised by Quang Nam province and the German-based Association InterKultur, is part of the 2011 National Tourism Year programme in the central southern coastal region and Phu Yen province .

Tran Minh Ca, Deputy Chairman of Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee said on September 17 that the festival will include amateur singers from Vietnam and other countries from across the world.

It is also a chance for the singers to popularize choral performances, helping administrators to seek out new ways of entertaining people during the integration process.

About 40 choir teams will be divided into six groups, competing in 13 events, with the winners of each group awarded a prize.

(Source: VNA)