© javier brosch, Fotolia.com

The most obvious sign that your dog think it’s too hot is that the tongue hangs out of it’s mouth. Why does a dog hangs his tongue out of the mouth? He tries to regulate his body heat. The moisture on the tongue will make the blood flow to be cooler.

I can’t say this enough strongly: never ever leave your dog in the car alone during a hot day, not even for a few minutes! It’s very painful for them. Dogs do not cope with heat very well, in fact much worse than we do ourselves!

If traveling by car: try to travel when it’s not too hot and keep the AC running all the time. Do stops regularly along the way and if you can find any places where the dog can take a bath along the way, make the stops there. Have enough towels in the car to last for the whole trip. A bath will cool down the dog for a long time.

If leaving your dog at your holiday rental while you’re going out: make sure that it’s not too hot and that there is enough air. Do leave the airconditioner on for the dog and if it use to be power outage in the area: leave some windows open to be sure the dog get some air.

Always exercise your dog when it’s least hot, which means in the early mornings and late evenings. Try to let them use their heads instead of their bodies. The brain needs the most exercise for them to get calm and satisfied. Try to avoid asphalt roads since they absorb heat trough their feet.

That’s also why the best way to cool down an already too hot dog is to place the dogs feet in cool water and sprinkling the chest with cold water or cover him in wet cold towels – plus letting him drink cool water of course. Also remember that a dark coated dog will be faster dehydrated than a light coated dog.

© capsicina, Flickr.com

From my own dog experiences I will also learn you my own trick to avoid getting the dog too hot in advance:

Have a piece of an old bed sheet with you that you can wrap around yuor dog, wet it with cool water and place it on his body. Sometimes it’s also enough when the dog lays upon it. Keep it wet. It’s a great cheap way to keep your dog cool, the bed sheet don’t take up much space/weight and you will need to have water with you anyway.

Also give your dog some dog treat that have been in the freezer or if not possible when out: give the dog an icecream, which will cool him down a lot – at least so that he stop panting for a while, but that will only help temporarily. The sugar in the icecream will make him thirsty eventually – and maybe add up his weight if you have a overweight dog.

Use your fantasy: set up a childrens pool, put on the sprinklers. Don’t be mad of the dog if it has been digging itself a hole in your garden and laid down there – it’s a way to find a cooling place.

How do you know if your dog is dehydrated? Look out for the signs: unusual panting and drooling, lethargic, fever, vomiting, bloodshoot eyes and paleness among others. If you lift the skin: will it fall back fast again or not? If not, the dog is probably dehydrated.

Don’t put ice on the dog – visit the Vet to be sure that your dog will be OK!

©Lifecruiser Love Dogs

Some other dog related posts at Lifecruiser:

Dog on vacation – kayaking
The Dog Bar: Water, snacks and hopefully no Bar fights
Dangerous Dark Bark Passion
Memories of bath maniacs
The Memorable Boxer
 

They claim to be the biggest wildlife park in Scandinavia and I actually hope that it’s not the truth, because I found it to be smaller than I remembered. Of course the last time I went there I was really young and now when I’m old (lol) everything seem smaller to me…

Description of the wildlife park features:

• Around 750 wild attractions
• The world’s first Safari Wildlife Park gondola
• Marine World including the dolphin show Life
• Tiger World with Siberian tigers
• Gorilla Island
• Childrens Farm
• Aquarium (outside the entrance)

The main reason for us going there again was the new dolphin show called Life, which took them 1.5 year to get ready, filled with facts about dolphins and with a message about the life at the earth and the environment, matched with music from ET, Superman, Lejonkungen och Titanic.

I recommend going there when it’s not so very hot summer weather since then the animals are getting too lazy and hide in the shadows to keep comfortable. In the end of July there was a little elephant male born for the first time at Kolmården, so if you go there now you get to see the little one.

The one thing that impressed us the most was the rather new Safari Cable Gondolas with digital guiding in different languages which went around all the park (2640 m) making the best view to see animals up close from above. The only way we did see the lions and the bears, so that was great. You also get really close to the Giraffes since they are so tall!

Kolmården Zoo have had several serious incidents with wolf attacks and even one of the caretakers of the wolfs killed in 2012, so they stopped letting visitors in to the wolfs. Earlier it was possible to buy a wolf visit as a birthday gift. I was even considering it myself once since I got a giftcard that was valid for it.

You do have the opportunity to book a closer meeting with the dolphins instead, but of course that is a more expensive alternative and you are not actually allowed to swim with them, just to have close contact.

If you are going there with kids, I recommend taking a day extra and either stay over the night at the nearby Vildmarkshotellet (Wildlife Hotel) for your own comfort or choose the more adventure way for the kids: the Safari Camp with it’s African style inside Kolmården, bringing your own sleeping bag. That way you get closer to the wildlife – if you are there under the right time during the summer.

If you want another budget alternative; why not stay at another camping area…? You can find campings around Kolmården at the Swedish Camping Map.

How to get there:

if going by car you have about 1,5 hour driving to do from Stockholm, you can follow signs from the E4. Or you can take bus or train, the InterCity train stops at Kolmården station. How to book the best train tickets, have a look at our Ultimate Train Travel Guide.

If flying directly nearby, you have the Stockholm Skavsta Airport or Norrköping Airport which offer good connections to Kolmården.

Be sure to check the opening hours, because it’s shifting depending on the time you go there. The Zoo is mostly open in the summer time or early autumn.

TIPS! Save the entrance ticket to Kolmården since it gives you 30% off at any of the other Parks and Resorts in Sweden – comes in handy if you as an example want to go to the Gröna Lund Tivoli or Aquaria in Stockholm.

You can see more of Lifecruiser Kolmården photos at Flickr.

©Lifecruiser Love Wildlife Parks
 

Of course, it is almost impossible for even the most disinterested visitor to the capital to ignore the imposing bulk of Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the skyline in the middle of the city itself. The site is clearly a strategic one, and has been a place of human habitation since at least the 9th century BC. The castle itself was built in the 12th century, and was a royal residence until the Union in 1603. Following that date, it ceased to be an important residential complex, and was transformed into a fortress. Given its dominance of the high ground, and its position in one of the most important cities in Scotland, it is perhaps no surprise that it has been besieged on a number of occasions, with the catastrophic Lang Siege of the 16th century levelling most of the medieval buildings through artillery fire.

Despite the loss of much of its original medieval architecture, Edinburgh Castle is still an extremely popular tourist attraction. In fact, with 1.3 million visitors a year, it is the most popular destination in Scotland, and it hosts the Edinburgh Military Tattoo each year. Whilst visitors might not be able to experience the same buildings that David I erected in the 12th century, they can still see the fortifications which defied Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 second Jacobite Uprising, which was the last time that the castle was involved in a military action.

Unfortunately, the fame of the castle at the centre of the city tends to mean that visitors to the capital do not travel to the many other historical sites which are a brief drive away from the capital. The nearest of these, Craigmillar Castle, is situated in a suburb of Edinburgh and is a mere 3 miles south-east of the city centre. Dating fro the 14th century, this fortification is best known for its association with the tragic Mary, Queen of Scots. She arrived to convalesce at the castle in late 1566, and before she left the infamous ‘Craigmillar Bond’ was made. This was an agreement to dispose of her then husband, Henry Stuart, who was the father of James I. As one of the best preserved medieval castles in Scotland, Craigmillar provides a unique opportunity for tourists to experience the same builds that touched Mary’s life.

For those tourists who are willing to stray a little further from Edinburgh, Tantallon Castle will provide a more epic and romantic setting for a historical visit. Sitting atop an impressive promontory which looks out over the Firth of Forth, this ruined 14th century fortress is the last traditional curtain wall castle to have been constructed in the country. It has seen significant military action over the years, having been besieged by both James IV and James V. Neither of them, however, did as much lasting damage as Oliver Cromwell, who left the site in partial ruin after his siege in 1651. During that action, almost 3,000 men fought a mere 91 Royalists, who nevertheless managed to hold out for twelve days. After that event, Tantallon was left abandoned, and now serves as an astonishing vantage point under the care of Historic Scotland.

Of course, to reach such attractions, private transport is required. Fortunately, car hire in Edinburgh is a popular choice for just that reason, and it should pose no problem at all for visitors to rent any vehicle necessary for exploration of the further reaches of the capital and East Lothian.

Guest Author: Ryan Johnson
 

When you’re headed for a scenic drive, it’s important to have adventure motorcycle accessories with you to really make your experience worthwhile. Having these with you will definitely improve the time you’re having and make everything much easier and safer.

If you’re the exploring type, be sure to invest in a good GPS navigation system for your bike. There are quite a good number on the market now that they’ve peaked from luxury device to mobile necessity but make sure you’ve got one that is specifically made for motorcycles. These types of GPS devices will be able to better stand the elements and they have certain features that normal automobile GPS’s don’t have, such as more intricate points of interest.

Unless you’ve got a bike where the GPS has already been installed for you, you’re going to need some kind of mounting fixture in order to keep it on the front. Mounts are available for pretty much every device you could think of from radar detectors to cell phones and they’re easy to install and are quite affordable.

Some people seem to think you can’t take a ride on your bike if the weather isn’t exactly perfect but that doesn’t have to be the case if you accessorize properly. Not only can you purchase heated vests and gloves to wear during your trip, but you also have the option of getting warm seats and handgrips. With the heating elements protecting you from the cold, you’ll be able to travel more and for longer periods of time, giving you extra time to explore before you’re forced to turn back.

A windshield is still considered an accessory although it’s probably one of the most significant pieces of equipment you can install on your bike. Windshields go without saying as they’re going to do a lot of good when it comes to keeping the wind and rain out of your face as you zip down the highway.

Likewise, make sure that you’ve got a helmet with a visor attached. While they might not be necessary in the nicer months of the year, it’s still important to have one available in case you end up in a patch of rain or snow. It will help keep the elements from burning or chapping your skin and it will keep things out of your eyes.

If you plan on traveling with someone else, you might benefit from some type of Bluetooth system on your bike or inside your helmet. These help you communicate with one another more effectively and it will be a literal life saver if you find yourself in need of emergency assistance. A lot of them are voice activated so you needn’t even take your hands off the handles in order to speak to the person on the other end of the line.

Nothing beats the feel of being on a motorcycle and the smell of fresh air as you drive on the open road, but if you really want to make it more enjoyable, make sure you’re outfitted with the best accessories you can buy. They’ll keep you safe and they’ll let you have more fun.

Lifecruiser Love Roadtrips
 

The day we started our trip from Stockholm, Sweden, in late February, we were lucky because we had clear sky and dry roads – just the day after we left it started to snow again… We started the right day for sure, especially since we have summer tires on the car not suited for any snowy weather conditions!

That’s because we had winter tires with spikes at home and that is not allowed in Germany (or some other countries) so we had to summer tires before leaving Sweden. Earlier there were a exception from that regulation that said that you were allowed to have them if you were passing through from one country to another, but they changed that in 2012.

We did drive through Denmark and Germany without any bad weather either luckily, in fact: the first 2000 km went so smooth that we started to think that this trip was going to be an easy ride all the way! Boy, was we wrong… First there was very foggy roads when entering France slowing us down quite much.

Then hubby started to feel very ill… In fact so nausea and dizzy that he had to stop acute at least 4 times along the road to throw up at the roadside… Yikes! That’s not any easy ride when out on a long roadtrip at all!!!! Luckily we did not have that long leg planned for that day and he was better the next day.

When we were entering Spain finally after so long time on the road, I did happily burst out with a spontaneous “Buenas Noches España”, feeling so pleased to have come so far – and the late sunset were gorgeous to our winter tired eyes!

We went sightseeing around the coastline in Spain down to Alicante where we were going to celebrate a friends birthday, so that was our first longer stop (more than for the night only). We did smaller excursions to check up even the surrounding smaller places too, but we never did find any places that we got found of. Maybe Playa San Juan nearby Alicante, but that was just the playa.

Alicante actually greated us with some rain too, but still: it was way much more nice than the snow in Sweden – wouldn’t you say too? this photo below is from Playa Postiguet nearby Alicante harbor.

After that we went down south from Alicante along the coast line exploring all the places and beaches on the way and at last, we ended up in Nerja which is our second visit to this smaller tourist town, we liked it already the first time we were here – it’s a nice little town. We have been walking around all over this place for days now.

The weather has been mostly OK, but very variated. Some days practically summer weather, others rainy or windy. All the scale, but looking at the weather reports for the rest of Spain I would say that we have been very lucky!

We have been researching around the coastline down from here too, all the way past Malaga and Marbella. So far we have made around 5000 km during this roadtrip altogether with different excursions! You see, we’re checking things up for other years winter escapes…

What I can say is this: we’re not alone doing winter escapes, there are so many Scandinavians, Englishmen, Dutch’s and Germans all over Spain, that I almost feel sorry for the Spaniards: their country is totally invaded and sometimes that is not in a good way at all. (When the tourist has taken over the places).

Where would you like to escape the weather…?

©Lifecruiser Love Spain
 

Nevada Photo by João Martinho

Car rental in the USA is great value and it affords you the freedom to explore wherever you choose in your own sweet time. Today we consider the rugged landscape of Nevada, which effortlessly combines hedonistic cities with charming small towns and beautiful scenery.

Here are just a few of the highlights…

Las Vegas

It just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t start this list with Las Vegas. What better way to begin your road trip of the state than with a slow cruise down the Las Vegas strip? Don those sunglasses, get that roof down, marvel at the towering hotels, and try your best not to be blinded by the brightness of all the neon. Try your hand on the tables if you dare, and if you have time, you know this is where all the cool kids come to party – make sure you experience all that it has to offer.

Lake Tahoe

From the bright lights of Vegas, to one of the USA’s most tranquil destinations. Lake Tahoe is a 191 square mile body of the most crystal clear water located right on the border of California and Nevada. Gaze into the water and you can expect to see an almost perfect reflection of the surrounding snow-topped mountains and alpine forests. As well as its undeniable beauty, Lake Tahoe is a popular destination with lovers of the great outdoors, and is the perfect place for you to stretch your legs and get some fresh air after all of those miles behind the wheel.

If you are visiting in the summer you’ll have the chance to try a little deep water fishing, horseback riding or maybe a few holes of golf at one of the area’s many golf courses. Come here in winter and you’ll find places to ski, sled and ice skate. The area offers great accommodation options whatever time of year you visit, ranging from cosy log cabins to modern and comfortable campsites.

Ski resorts

If you time your trip right, you will have the opportunity to pop on your salopettes and hit the slopes at any one of the 18 ski resorts in Nevada. Depending on your route – a few that you might like to try include Squaw Valley, Sugar Bowl and Diamond Peak.

Reno

Back in the days when Las Vegas was merely a gleam in the developers’ eyes, Reno was satisfying the tourists’ desire to have a flutter. Affectionately dubbed the “biggest little city in the world”, Reno traditionally attracts tourists from San Francisco and Sacramento, whereas Vegas was more frequented by those hailing from Southern California and Phoenix.

Reno is located just 90 minutes drive from Lake Tahoe but just 18 miles south of the city is Washoe Lake – another great photo opportunity and popular choice with kite boarders and windsurfers.

Lifecruiser Love Roadtrips

Other US Roadtrips related posts at Lifecruiser:

Maine – The Getaway from the Getaway
Travelling The U.S. By Road This Summer
Cool routes for a driving holiday in Florida
Travel Dreams: Cruising US Coast in a Corvette Stingray
Hiking on the edge: a Grand Canyon experience
 

Of course I couldn’t resist taken a picture of it. I just love that I never know what to find to take pictures of when out traveling. Always something new, unexpected and exciting!

©Lifecruiser Love Rally Cars

Other car related posts by Lifecruiser:

When hubby was rally Harry
Driving in the mountains – scary experiences
Swedish Classic Volvo Car Trip
High Life Cruiser – Champagne of Beers Classic
Travel Dreams: Cruising US Coast in a Corvette Stingray
VW Camper Van Blue Retro Twins
 

As a person that every year wishes for a red & white Corvette Stingray of 1957 years model for Christmas (ha ha), you can imagine that this would not at all be wrong for me to do one day….! Putting it on my bucket list!

What also is interesting is that this highway of America, also sometimes is called the Mother road and was established as early as in November 1926 – which also happens to be the birth year and month of my own mother. If I ever manage to fulfill this dream, I will for sure remember my Mom during the trip.

Do you have any similar travel dreams? Let us know in the comments!

©Lifecruiser Love Cab Cruising
 

The Turning Torso is, with it’s 190 meters (623 feet) and 54 stories, the tallest building in Sweden when created, but also one of the most spectacular with it’s crazy 90 degrees twisting of the 9 cubes in the tower from top to bottom and irregular pentagonal shaped floors rotating around the vertical core.

A true artwork in structural expressionism by Santiago Calatrava (follow the link to read more about this fantastic engineers work!) from 2005, inspired by his own sculpture called the Turning Torso which the Swedish contractor saw and asked him to copy his design as a building.

Featured in Discovery channel’s TV program, Extreme Engineering – always so incredible fascinating – where they did show how a floor of this twisted tower was constructed. It’s also built with sustainability and an environmentally friendly way of life in mind and the building is supplied only with locally produced and renewable energy.

Santiago Calatrava (from Valencia in Spain) is considered to be one of the worlds elite designers who has won gold medal’s. A truly gifted structural engineer with an unusually artistic approach in his creations! I’m totally blown-away by several of his other architectural wonders too.

He also contributed (but did not won) in the architectural competition for the Swedish Öresund Bridge in the nearby area, which we had to pass over to get from Sweden to Denmark on our next leg of Lifecruiser Europe trip…

©Lifecruiser Love Unusual Architecture
 

This is the state to get away and rest from the stressful family getaway you just made. Take a drive to any of the following small villages, stay for a day, a weekend or a whole week. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to take on the world again.

Freeport

If your coming from Boston, you’ll want to stop in at Freeport and enjoy an afternoon shopping in the outlet stores or the small historic boutiques that line the historic district. Spend the night in one of the comfortable and homey bed and breakfasts so you can drive up to Wolfe’ Neck State Park the following day. Stroll through the awe inspiring white pine and hemlock forest. Another scenic area is Casco Bay where you’ll enjoy crabbing along the rocky shoreline. In the evening you can walk downtown taking in the art work, an outdoor play, or simply enjoy a quiet romantic dinner at any of the excellent restaurants.

Bar Harbor

Another interesting little town in Maine is Bar Harbor, which sits between the Frenchman Bay and the gorgeous mountains of Acadia National Park. This is a great place to go biking, kayaking or visiting a lighthouse or two. Spend the day watching the whales or rock climbing. Visit the Petit Manan Wildlife Refuge or walk through town and admire the historical value of the town, founded back in 1763. Hop on one of the tour buses and drive through Acadia National Park to Cadillac Mountain.

Rockland

Another interesting place for a great weekend getaway is Rockland, located in Penobscot Bay and a must see if you plan your getaway in late July or August, as you’ll be able to enjoy the Lobster Festival. Enjoy the day strolling through the exhibitions and viewing the work of local artists, then when you’re ready to eat, enjoy the delectable lobster.

Maine offers a lot to see, some great fishing, picturesque villages and towns to enjoy, as well as wonderful natural wonders. This state is truly the state to get away from family, work and stress. It is the place to renew, rejuvenate and get the rest you need. If you are considering a trip to Maine consider visiting Ogunquit.com to plan the perfect trip.

Lifecruiser Love Getaways