There are many pro’s and con’s when it comes to booking last minute deals. The thought of them sound fantastic, but realistically they are not for everyone, especially not the faint hearted. If you’re like me then forget it, book well in advance! I like to know when I’m going, where I’m going and for how long. I like to be prepared well in advance and hate dashing around last minute trying to sort everything out. For instance;

Car Parking – I book my car parking well in advance to ensure I get the best possible price, availability can go quickly and I’d hate to think I was turning up at the airport without having pre booked it and having to pay those dreadful gate prices!

Travel Insurance – I always book my travel insurance the minute I’ve booked my holiday, I keep my insurance policy documents together with my holiday booking details, my passports, my car parking voucher etc. Booking it last minute may not leave me enough time to receive the appropriate documents I’ll need and then what will I do if anything happens and I don’t have my paperwork?!

Holiday shopping – I don’t know about you, but I think the prices of sun cream are extortionate, I mean, it’s something we all need so how they get away with pricing it so high is beyond me. Anyway, I always compare prices of a few brands and check which shops have the best offers on and buy it well in advance. There’s nothing worse than having to buy it when abroad, you’ll come away feeling well and truly ripped off!

Currency – Comparing currency rates can save you a few pounds, however, there is not a lot you can do about the rate of currency exchange. It is what it is and is usually best to exchange before you travel, the airports always give a lower rate as do most holiday resorts.

Packing your suitcase – Packing your case can be a fairly traumatic experience. Will it be too heavy? Have I packed everything I need? Should I really take that? Do I roll or do I fold? It’s an absolute nightmare! So packing early like I do is a necessity. Not only will it leave you feeling satisfied that you’ve packed everything you need, but you can relax before you travel instead of running around last minute shoving stuff in where you can.

My views, although slightly erratic, do work for me. However, I may actually end up paying more. But if you hold out and bide your time, there’s plenty of late deals to be had. But take my advice and prepare whatever you can before hand. If you see sun cream on offer but haven’t booked your holiday yet, buy it anyway, you’re getting a great deal. Last minute packing can be made easier with a holiday drawer, have everything ready in one place to plonk straight in the case. As long as you book your holiday a day or two before you travel, nip down to the post office to change your currency, they usually have great rates. You can actually book travel insurance the day before you travel, just ensure you have your policy number and an emergency contact number in case you need to use it. There are loads of last minute deals out there just waiting to be found, all it takes is some hard work and patience and you could end up saving a fortune!

Many people get time off over the holidays, and they want to make the most of that time. There are plenty of places where you can spend the holidays enjoying a lovely vacation. Disneyland and Disney World are among the busiest places on holidays, including Christmas day. People of all ages find the magic kingdoms to be a delightful place to make memories for the holidays with their entire family.

Since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, many people find themselves with a four or five day weekend over that period of time. Going to Las Vegas is a great place to spend this holiday as it is always alive with action 24 hours per day. You will also find plenty of restaurants in Las Vegas that offer you the best Thanksgiving Day meal you have ever been a part of.

Las Vegas is also one of the most popular locations for New Years Eve. The entire strip is shut down from traffic and people are dancing, drinking, and having a good time in the streets. Many people compare it to the activities taking place in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Spring break is a very popular holiday for the high school and college crowds. They often choose to spend that time at various beaches including those in Florida and California. Hotels are over run with these people having parties all night long and then spending their days at the beach.

Most of these beaches host fabulous activities during spring break to make sure people keep coming back year after year. Live music, dances, and various contests are just a sample of the different contests you can enter. Since spring break falls differently for various schools, these beaches are often full from the second week of March until the very end of the month.

Surprising someone you love with a fun vacation to another country or a part of the world they have always wanted to see is a great way to share the holidays. Imagine waking up Christmas morning in Spain or Paris instead of at home. There are plenty of great places that you can see during the holidays so don’t limit your options.

The down side to traveling to popular vacation spots for the holidays is that they are in demand. That means you will likely pay more to visit them during that time of year than normal. You will also need to make your reservations early or you will find that all the flights or the hotels have sold out and you won’t be able to spend the holidays there.

Take a look at various vacation package deals to help you save as much money as possible when you take a vacation over the holidays. Most package deals for travel include your airfare, hotel accommodations, and a rental car if you want one. You can also choose to add tickets for shows or events you want to take part in.

Once you have decided where you want to spend the holidays, you can start comparing prices. Find out what your local travel agent can offer you and surf the internet on your own. Don’t forget to look in the travel section of the newspaper or to take advantage of advertisements you get in the mail. For many people the ability to be able to take a vacation over the holidays will depend on the price they are able to get the trip for.

There will also be more people to deal with at that particular vacation spot over the holidays in most instances. If you don’t like being a part of a large crowd or you hate to wait in line, you will want to prepare yourself for these issues while vacationing over the holidays. This way you can focus on having a great time instead of getting stressed out over such issues that you have no control over.

Top Ten lists are a dime a dozen on the web and one that crops up more often than most is travel-related lists with outlandish titles such as Top 10 Places You Must See Before You Die and other such morbid titles. This list is similar however we don’t see the necessity to insert the Before You Die bit, although it would be useful to visit these cities before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

When it came to choosing the appropriate criteria for selecting these cities, many statistics and facts were taken into account, before being readily dismissed in favor of the most crucial method of consideration of all … my humble opinion. So forgive me if your own favourite city is not included. I know how you feel as despite my best efforts to sneak one of my own personal favorite cities Dublin into this list, logic dictated that a Top 10 list would look a bit weird if it had 11 cities.

Now the next hurdle to overcome was to decide whether to categorise the cities on a graded basis from 10 down to 1 or take the lazy way and just sort them alphabetically, suffice to say, the lazy way was the landslide winner.

Bangkok

Bangkok is a massive sprawling city that offers charms galore. Bangkok is dotted with historical palaces and temples that offer a glimpse into the city’s ancient history, yet Bangkok offers much more than beautiful temples and glorious palaces. It comfortably nestles at the forefront of Asia’s most visited cities attracting millions of tourists each year. Majestic sites such as The Temple of the Dawn and The Marble Temple should not be missed. Lumphinee Park offers a diversion from Bangkok’s bustling city streets. Bangkok is a modern city that encompasses a bustling nightlife, supreme shopping experiences, delicious aromas that fill up the senses from the many gorgeous restaurants and marketplaces. Bangkok’s wonderful architecture and soothing climate solidifies its deserved place in this list and indeed why it so frequently crops up on similar lists.

Las Vegas

Well it had to be didn’t it? Surely no list of this nature could be complete without Sin City itself, Vegas. Vegas falls into the category of love it or hate it for most people and with visitor numbers increasing each year it seems most people love it. The Entertainment Capital of the World does not disappoint. Where else can you go for a gondola cruise in the morning, see the Grand Canyon in the afternoon and be back in time to see shows such as Siegfried & Roy, Cirque du Soleil and similar headline acts in the afternoon? Ok it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it is a city that has to be seen to be believed. Oh, and did I mention you can also gamble there apparently.

London

Ok the weather is not ideal, and the food can be mediocre but no list of this ilk would be complete without including London. It has attractions and sights for people of all ages and is a cosmopolitan city on a grand scale. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, London Eye, Tower of London is just a few of the majestic attractions in England’s capital city. If it’s good enough for The Queen well it’s good enough for me, just don’t forget your brolly.

New York City

So good they named it twice as the saying goes and there few cities in the world that offer the amount of iconic landmarks and attractions that New York can. Even leaving aside world famous attractions and sights such as The Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, and Times Square, New York is such a vibrant pulsating city that it has more than enough to tempt visitors going back time after time. It is one of the world’s great shopping cities, has a nightlife second to none and has often been referred to as one of the world’s great cities. You won’t find an argument here.

Paris

I would like to say it was the romantic side in me that welcomes Paris to this list, but it is not, it is because it deservedly nestles here as it as a European heartbeat of culture, beauty and indeed romance and offers some of the most beautiful and majestic sights on the planet. The Eiffel Tower one of the most famous landmarks in the world proudly stands tall in this city that also is graced by Champs Elysees, Notre Dame and The Louvre. The Louvre is home to The Mona Lisa whose ageless beauty bewilders generation after generation. Paris should not be missed.

Rome

This historic city, known as The Eternal City, has some of the most historical sights in the world such as The Pantheon, The Coliseum and The Roman Forum. St Peter’s Basilica is just one of the many glorious churches in Rome, and is an essential visit while in the city. Trevi Fountain is yet another treat in this majestic city. And no it wasn’t built in a day.

San Francisco

The Bay area of California is home to one of America’s most popular destination retreats San Francisco as well as being one of the country’s most liberal cities. The hilly streets are as familiar as perhaps the city’s most famous landmark, The Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay itself sparkles under the warm sun whilst San Francisco is also renowned for its famous cable cars. The twisty streets in Lombard Street are another essential visit whilst harbor tours often include a trip to Alcatraz, the famous, though now inactive, prison. San Fran is a warm wonderful city with a new treasure each time you come, and no, you don’t need to wear flowers in your hair.

Sydney

Beautiful beaches, breathtaking sights and the famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge entwined with the beautiful weather and cosmopolitan cuisine make Sydney an unmissable city. The city is a hotbed of activity and one of the friendliest on the planet. Darling Harbour offers enthralling sights and attractions including museums, stunning hotels and shopping whilst The Rocks provides charm in abundance. Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognisable buildings of modern times and is an essential visit. Sydney has it all culture, arts, scenery, climate, and often tops Most liveable city polls. It’s not hard to see why.

Tokyo

A metropolis city on a grand scale Tokyo is a vibrant almost futuristic city that engulfs one’s senses from the start. Tokyo revels in shrines, museums, temples and the city’s Imperial Palace. Sensoji Temple reigns amongst Tokyo’s enduring sights along with The Meiji Shrine and The Imperial Palace itself. Museums align the streets competing with restaurants and shops of all descriptions. Those seeking a more modern approach have options like Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Dome City and Tokyo Disneyland. There’s truly something for everyone in this great city.

Venice

Many cities claim to be unique, and indeed many are but few can compare to Venice’s quirky charm and decidedly unique canals that transcend across the city. Romantic gondola rides alone do not capture the entire beauty of this marvellous city. St Marks Basilica is a glorious church that often has long lines to visit. It nestles in St Marks Square a wonderful open square with charming coffee shops and is a hive of activity as it is one of the most photographed parts of Venice. Doges Palace, The Bridge of Sighs, and The Rialto Bridge are further landmarks of this extraordinary city.

Find out more…

To read more about these and other cities, including great tourist sites, shopping destinations and accurate street maps, visit Go Street Maps at: http://www.gostreetmaps.com/.