© bertys30, Fotolia.com

In our favorite winter escape country Spain, it’s a heat wave coming with extremely hot winds from Sahara in the South, but even the islands out in the Atlantic ocean or in the north of Spain has a horrible heat wave. When looking at my weather app the latest month or so, Costa del Sol in Spain have had at least 10C degrees more than Rio de Janeiro in Brazil!

Even places in European countries which are not really known to have the hottest weather (like Scandinavia and UK) are also gonna have a hot week with higher temperatures than normally accoarding to the weather forecasts.

The heat make it risky not only to get a heat stroke and especially for already ill or old persons, but also the danger of fire breakouts. Many tourists are not taking it seriously and take precautions to avoid start of fires: not cautious enough when BBQ’ing or with their cigarettes thrown in the extremely dry nature.

Never, ever throw your cigarettes in the nature! Always put out your cigarettes in some water to be 100% sure they are put out. Never BBQ in the nature during heatwaves! At other times, always have water with you (or use sand) to suppress the fire. Make sure an extra time that it’s really put out. You don’t wanna be the cause of people losing their homes, do you?

Never ever leave either your kids or your pets in the car alone during a hot day, not even for a few minutes. If they already are dehydrated or on the way to get a heat stroke, minutes can be enough to be dangerous. If they look like they are not really feeling OK: get cold water to them FAST! Shower them with it as well as let them drink a lot of the water. Read my tips on How to keep your dog cool while traveling.

I have noticed before that people are generally not thinking of the risks with the heatwave – probably persons that is not so very used to heatwaves. Locals tend to know what to do, so if you happen to be a tourist in a heatwave: ask the locals what they do to cool down.

Most well known precautions to avoid a heat stroke:

• Stay out of the sun in the mid of the day 11pm to 03pm
• Wear appropriate clothes: loose fitting, thin clothing and protect the head from the sunrays with a hat or scarves
• Use sunscreen – don’t forget to apply several times during day!
• Use quality sunglasses with proper UV-protection
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine which can cause dehydration
• Avoid spicy food (except from salt you need it in the heat)
• No extensive exercise or sightseeing to avoid getting too hot and dehydrated
• Drink as much water as possible a day
• Cool down with water: showers, pool or sea dipping
• Rinse your wrists under cold water, splash cold water in your face, neck, shoulders, back and in the fold of your knees
• Learn to listen to your body, don’t overdo things
• Make sure you never fall asleep in the sun!

Another maybe not so wellknown precations for tourists (from colder countries) which the locals know well, is to put wet towels in the fridge to get cold and put them over your body to cool down – repeat as neeeded.

Also if you have place for it in your freezer, you could put a plastic bag with your bed sheets in the freeze for a couple of hours before bedtime to easier be able to fall asleep. (You always need a good night sleep to cope well the day after).

I always pack ready fluid replacement bought from the pharmacy with me when traveling, which can come in handy not only when you lost fluid because of heat, but also after vomiting or stomach diseases. If you have not packed it, you can make it yourself as below.

How to make a fluid replacement for grownups:

• 1 liter cooked water, let it cool
• 6 teaspoons sugar
• Half a teaspoon salt
• Optional: drops of lemon

Drink it in small portions but often. The fluid replacement can be stored maximum 24 hours in the fridge. Don’t give it to children, they might not be able to handle that much salt, buy ready fluid replacement in the pharmacy for them. The most obvious sign of dehydration is that they don’t pee anything or having a darker pee than normally, but there are many other signs where headache is a common one that I myself always get.

Do you have any other tips to cool down or avoid being dehydrated? Please leave them in the comment or leave a link to the information.

©Lifecruiser Love Heatwave Advices
 

© 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
 

The worlds first permanent Icebar was built in Stockholm 2002, as well as the worlds first Icehotel was built up in Sweden and not anywhere else! Of course, since then this popular concept is popping up here and there in the world…

The Icebar in Stockholm is located in the Nordic Sea Hotel at Vasagatan, very close to the Arlanda Airport Express train, so even if you only have a short time in the city, you can get there.

All the ice in the icebar: the walls, art, the bar and the tables plus some seats, are made from ice blocks up from the northern Sweden: more exact Torne River in Jukkasjärvi, one of the purest rivers you can find today.

The few seats in there were covered – though who want to sit down in there…? It’s enough butt freezing standing up!

The icebar is re-designed twice a year with different designs. Right now the design is called “Frozen Format”. Our birthday guest we had with us, Jennifer, is from Rio de Janeiro in Brasil and she had never experienced the cold and ice like this before – other from the ice in drinks…

You get around 40 minutes in there, we stayed for 45 minutes and ordered nice drinks twice. You don’t need any longer time in there since you start to get really cold after a while despite the cape and gloves they put on you. We started to jump around in silly dances to keep warm. Whatever you do: don’t wear shorts and flipflops when going there… Ha ha…

If you want a more unusual wedding, it’s possible to get married in there. There are also several other activities there. You will find all the information you need at: www.icebarstockholm.se.

Also have a look at Lifecruiser Icebar Photos at Flickr.

I recommend having breakfast there, a very cool awakening indeed. If you don’t wake up after that, I don’t know what will wake you up!

©Lifecruiser Love Icebar
 

MochaMeet
MochaMeet (www.mochameet.com) is a social planning service for travel that focuses on this exact problem. To get started, you can login with Facebook and see all your friends on an interactive map.

It is fascinating to see how truly global your network is.

Turns out, I have 25 friends in New York, 18 friends in London and 10 friends in Singapore. I’ve barely even lived in any of theses places. Huh.. who knew?

How does it get the data?
To get started, when you login with Facebook, it pulls in all your friends’ current cities (hometowns if current cities are not populated) and displays them on the map. So, initially, it has Facebook data – which is not always accurate, but it is a start.

Now, within MochaMeet, you can upload your trips. So, as more of your friends start joining MochaMeet, it starts relying more on MochaMeet data instead, which is a lot more accurate.

Coordinating Meetings

So, you have 25 friends in New York. Now what? I have no intention of sitting and calling each and every one to see if they are free.

To close this loop, you can create groups for a city that you are traveling to. This group is “location-aware” – meaning that only those members who are in the cities you are traveling to will see and respond to the chat.

Now, the most notable feature is the coordination tool within the group chat. There are 3 circles – who, when, and where? You can see members in the “who” circle, while the other 2 circles allow you to vote on times and places that work for you. The most popular times and places are when and where you will meet. This makes coordination a whole lot easier.

Want to gather your former classmates or office pals for a one-time reunion or a monthly networking sesh? Going to New York, London or Taipei? Why eat dinner alone? Now MochaMeet can easily coordinate a table for two – or 20.

Happy Travels! And now make them Social too!

Guest Author: Anish Godha is the CEO of MochaMeet. He holds a MS from Stanford University and a BS from Northwestern University.
 

West Palm Beach also sometimes referred to as Orchid city is the county seat of Palm Beach County in Florida, United States. It is a perfect example of contemporary and modern lifestyle in the county. This place has an international airport and hence is well connected to the other parts of the United States and the globe.

This city, with its lush green surroundings, spotless beaches, immaculate waters, chic lifestyle and above all magnetic charm has been alluring tourists for an enchanting experience. It is also a hot destination for celebrities, who fly down with their families for a blissful and rather peaceful vacation.

Wildlife sanctuaries to parks, museums, malls, botanical gardens, clubs et al, there is a lot more for one to explore within the county. McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary is an absolute fun place for animal lovers. The home to over 170 varieties of white tigers, African lions, snakes, parrots and other species, one should expect a thrilling time within its premises.

South Florida Science Museum and Dekelboum Planetarium is another spot frequented by curious little visitors along with their guardians. The aquarium, dinosaurian and planetarium is enough for one and all to put on their thinking caps and encounter the true marvels of nature within the closed spaces.

This county is considered to be a haven for die-hard shopaholics. Malls, shopping centers and boutiques, there is so much for the shoppers to choose from. One can find a diverse collection of high-end brands and stores of jewelry, clothes, cosmetics and other items to satisfy their cravings and never get tired of doing that anyway!

Entertainment is to be found in abundance in this southwest Florida county. A city that hosts millions of holidaymakers everyday has leisure to offer to them in return. Fun is the mantra here. Restaurants, pubs, coffee houses and dance clubs readily provide solace to youngsters who’ve had a hectic day of sightseeing. Dance, music, drinks and food are available in plenty and awaiting your company for a glittering and glamorous evening overlooking the ocean.

If you are in a party mood and wish to crash away into the sparkle and dazzle of West Palm Beach over the weekend, all you need to do is book your cheap tickets right away and get rewarded with special discounts. You can make your weekend getaway more special by reserving yourself on a flight to this city immediately and letting your friends and the special one awe in disbelief at your impulsive gesture!

A real jewel of a place, anyone flying down to the US must not miss a chance to drop in at this Florida county. A glimpse into the city life and you will surely be thrilled enough to come back wanting for more.

Lifecruiser Love Palm Beach
 

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
 

We were looking a little bit proud around us, yes we made it!! After 12 days almost non-stop sailing, passing France, Portugal, Gibraltar and the south-east coast of Spain, we arrived finally at our destination …. Barcelona!

The Netherlands 2006

In 2006 we bought our 80 ft. boat in Wicklow, a small village south of Dublin. The boat is a former Fleet Tender (supplier) from the Royal Navy and she was built as RMAS Denmead A363 in 1969. Based in Plymouth but during service she sailed between Northern Ireland and the South coast of England.

In 1995 she was decommissioned and sold to Ireland as a working boat and when we bought her, she was still in the original shape!

We sailed her to Holland and worked 2 years with 5 men to strip her completely and rebuild her with keeping some of her original features.

One of the first things was to insulated her very well for the use in the Mediterranean. Next we installed air-conditioning (and CH) in all cabins and fire alarm system etc., so she complies now to the latest safety regulations. The huge space inside gave us the possibility to create 5 guest cabins, 4 bathrooms, large saloon, galley and playroom cabin for kids.

End 2011 we made a business plan for taking the St. Katharine (her new name) to Barcelona and exploring her in this fantastic city that has everything for our plans; it is located at the Mediterranean, has great culture, beaches and the whole year round sun, tourism and cheap flights!

So, in June/July we sailed her from Rotterdam to Barcelona and now she is moored in the beautiful super yacht marina Port Forum, only 10 minutes from the vibrant city centre of Barcelona.

In January we started to rent out the entire boat to max 8 guests and end of January we could welcome our first guests!

During this year we had many requests for B&B stays and smaller groups so we decided to start also with B&B on board of the St. Katharine next to renting out the boat entirely!

A stay on the St. Katharine is a unique experience!

Sitting with a chilled drink in the lounge area on the spacious front deck, looking over the marina with its super yachts and towards the sea. Thinking about the wonderful days spend on the beach, in Barcelona – only 10 minutes away – and specially on the boat. Spending the days relaxing on the sun beds, having lunch and dinner on board and using the dinghy with the children, looking at all the beautiful boats from near!

Enjoying the many activities in and around Port Forum and with the beach only few minutes’ walk from the boat!

When you stay on B&B Hotel Boat St. Katharine well located on the waterfront of Barcelona, you can feel and enjoy the life between the most luxury yachts of the Mediterranean and amazing Barcelona at the same time!

Please look for more info on: bandbinbarcelona.com and see the pictures below.

Guest Authors: Cas & Irene Pijpers, owners of St. Katherine. Cas is also doing yacht services in different marinas and Irene also has a website design and development company besides running the hotel boat.

They offer three all-inclusive wedding packages which offer excellent value for money while never compromising on the quality of products and services on offer. They also have dedicated staff who are ready to tailor a wedding package to your exact needs and desires.

A wedding at the Ardboyne Hotel will include the following:

• A professional consultation with the management team regarding your particular needs
• A red carpet welcome including champagne for the wedding couple
• Freshly brewed tea and coffee for wedding guests upon arrival
• Use of the Ardboyne’s impressive landscaped gardens for photography
• Personalised menu cards
• Floral arrangements and candles for all tables
• Luxurious accommodation for the wedding couple in the magnificent bridal suite, including a full Irish breakfast
• Accommodation for parents of the wedding couple
• A special rate for accommodation for the wedding party
• Ample parking space
• Flexible menus that can cater to all dietary requirements
• A five-course dinner based on the chosen package or an a la carte menu of your choice
• Two glasses of wine served with dinner
• Cash bar

The three packages on offer cater to different budgets. Each package comes with an impressive set menu, but they are more than willing to adjust these to your specifications. You can also choose a personalised menu from their extensive range of a la carte wedding menu options.

The Ardboyne offers a 10% discount on midweek weddings. Since they have become such a sought-after destination for weddings, they also provide fun services like post-wedding barbeques – Irish weather allowing, of course.

Besides their specialised wedding services, the Ardboyne is also a great choice of wedding venue because of the great variety of attractions and amenities in the vicinity of the hotel. This area is rich in sights and activities for every kind of interest, so your family and guests will have a wide range of options to choose from to keep them occupied before and after the big event.

When it comes to family-friendly fun, other activities include horseback riding and races and ample fishing – trout and salmon, in particular. There are also several top-notch golf courses close to the Ardboyne.

For those who love history and archaeology, you’ll be spoilt for choice here. Meath is often referred to as the Royal County since it was the home of the old Irish Kings. Trim Castle is the most prominent of Ireland’s Anglo-Norman castles and dates back to the medieval period. Meath is also home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the ruins at Bru na Bionne which predate Stonehenge by 1000 years.

All things considered, the Ardboyne Hotel offers everything you could want in a wedding venue, and their specialised wedding services will ensure that the process of organising your big event will run smoothly.
 

Guest Author Bio: Teresa Huyzers is a content writer at R.O.I. Media, one of South Africa’s leading digital media agencies. This small-town girl hails from Bredasdorp, close to the Southernmost tip of Africa, but currently lives in Cape Town. Her love for travel and travel writing was instilled by her parents from a young age with countless road trips to the lush tropics of Limpopo in the north of South Africa. She has also travelled extensively in Europe and left a piece of her heart in Florence, Italy.
 

It’s Howl at the Moon and NCL sweepstakes that gives you the chance to win a cruise for two to Caribbean, Bermuda or Bahamas and Florida. Sounds like sweet music in my ears, how about you? You only have to fill in your details to be included, peace of cake.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you to become a winner and if you do, don’t forget to tell us because you are warmth welcome to guest post about your enjoyed free cruise here at Lifecruiser Travel, plus show your cruise photos!

The other special tips is an offer from Lifecruiser Travel: you have the chance to share your favorite travel post with other fellow travelers at our Facebook fan page Lifecruiser Travel. The post is pinned to the top of the page to make it easy for you to find it and read what the others already have shared with us.

We will make a special post later with the posts you share with us there, so grab your chance now to get a link back from within one of our posts!

©Lifecruiser Love Travel Offers