Fly Drive USA

As much fun as holidays to America are; it is important to remember that each state is in fact like its own little country and has its own traffic laws.

Whilst driving is the most popular mode of transport and great deals on great car rentals (we hired a red mustang and drove through the Nevada Desert) can be found, please follow the below tips.

Tip #1 – Always ask your car agent if there are any special laws for drinving in the current state

Tip #2 – If driving through states, make sure you take a tour book for driving regulations.

In school zones, keep in mind two laws - do not pass a school bus if its lights are flashing flashing as school kids are embarking. Also, the road traffic speed becomes 15mph if a schools external lights are flashing. You will be severely punsihed if you breaks these traffic laws!

Rail Tours USA

If you are a fan of USA tours but don’t fancy driving the whole way across the states then USA rail tours are a must. These trains have been hailed as hotels on wheels. Enjoy the comfort of air-conditioned cabins and uniformed staff attending you whilst having a sleep or enjoying the beautiful scenery to be found in North America and Canada. Eat. Drink. Relax. Unwind and let the pleasure of the ride wash over you as tuck into a quality meal and enjoy fine American wine. Or, book yourself into an overnight cabin to be truly refreshed for arrival at your destination in the morning. If you need to rest there are cabins available to sleep in.

Cruising America

If you want to try cruising round the Caribbean or Alaska, then a trip from normally Florida, by luxury cruiser is a fantastic experience and oftentimes a great deal. .

Popular Destinations

If you are trying to decide on where to go some of the best USA destinations are;

Las Vegas, Nevada – like Disney World for grown-ups.

Orlando, Florida – The real Disney World resides here.

Alaska – a truly massive wilderness to get safely lost in

San Francisco, California – Feel a touch of living new American history.

Wish I was coming with you on your trip to America.

beer brewing

If there is one thing that the brewing industry definitely wants, then it is to have you visit and take a tour of their facilities. Touring breweries is a great vacation option that many people try to schedule at least once a year. Even if you do not have a particular favorite, you may come away from the brewery loving a certain type of beer made by a certain company. The tours are very informative and you can get a great look into how the beer brewing system works. Beer has been around for centuries and is a staple in many people’s lives. Even if you are not a regular beer drinker, you can still find great things on the tours.

The one thing you should definitely consider when taking a look at the brewing industry is that there are many different places to go here in the United States. Sure, you could always go overseas but why not try sticking closer to home for your initial trips. You can save that trip to Octoberfest for another vacation time. If you are not sure of which city to hit first, then you need to consider what type of good beer you like. That can narrow down your choices considerably. Take for example the Coors brewing facility as an example. If you do not like Coors then you may want to skip that brewery.

One great beer brewing city to visit is St. Louis, Missouri. You can take a tour of the Budweiser brewing facility. Budweiser has a long history as one of the favorite beers found in the United States, yet if it is not quite your preferred beer, then you may want to try a microbrew in a different city. Many large cities have microbrew manufacturers that produce excellent local beers to suit any palate. You may not find an authentic Belgian beer but you can still enjoy new, refreshing blends. One place that makes a great beer is found in downtown Dallas. The Copper Tank makes a wide selection of microbrews that vary depending on the season.

There are plenty of places to visit if you take the time to look. This is a vacation that will not only be relaxing but it will get you away from the kids for a while. Take a break from the pressures of modern day life and take a look towards the brewing industry to quench your thirst for fun and entertainment. It may be a beer and wine tour in California or a trip to the mid-west and that famous arch to visit an iconic brewery. You will be glad you did.

Within a decade, technical diving has moved from being the preserve of extremists to becoming a main stream, yet specialized, field. The rationale behind technical diving has been reached only after passing through a series of challenges and scrutiny in the past. In the late 1980s the International Association of Nitrox Technical Divers became the first specialized technical training centre, marking a revolution in diving. Refer to Pemba for more information.

For the recreational Scuba diver, the diving depth limit is 40m and the diver should surface directly in up an unrestricted course. However, technical divers enjoy unlimited diving depth and the diver may need to resurface along a more restricted route such as in technical cave diving.

Wreck diving also challenges the diver’s ability to cope with unstable conditions and the maze-like corridors in a wreck. After a deep dive, the diver’s body has absorbed a large amount of inert gas (mainly nitrogen). There is a life-threatening danger in surfacing without following a proper decompression process during the ascent.

Technical diving is a relatively risky activity; therefore, the training course follows stricter rules when admitting students. The instructor has the right to refuse non-suitable candidates onto courses such as technical cave diving and re-breather diving. Generally, students participating in basic technical diving courses should have at least two to three years of diving experience, perhaps even as certified recreational diving instructors.

The main difference between technical divers and recreational divers is not their experience or courage, but their mind set. Recreational divers are happy to swim over coral and fish, while technical divers are eager to test their limits. At a depth of 300 feet, the diver’s personality, clear mind and technique are under massive stress. Even a minor mistake can lead to uncontrolled results in this environment. Therefore, psychological fitness is even more important than physical fitness for a technical diver.

How should you choose a technical diving training agent? There are about five international training centres in Hong Kong, including the founding agent IANTD and PADI. Several points should be considered when selecting a training centre: equipment availability and standard, insistence on reasonable and correct training procedures, the experience of the technical diving instructors, and the opinions of ex-students. Though cost could be another point to consider, the difference of a hundred or a thousand dollars is meaningless compared with the value of your life. For more information refer to Pemba

The course structure of a technical diving course is similar to a recreational one in that everyone starts from a basic level, even if you are a qualified instructor or experienced diver. The technical deep dive course comprises three different levels under the IANTD and PADI systems.

The basic course is named Advanced Nitrox Diver (IANTD) or Apprentice Tech Deep Diver (PADI). It teaches the student the benefits, hazards and proper procedures to dive to a 45m depth using high content oxygen for rapid decompression. This is deeper than the recreational diver’s limit. It is important to strictly follow the time and safety stops procedures for surfacing, otherwise decompression sickness (the Bends) could result. If a diver spends 30mins at a depth of 45m, they will need an extra 40minutes for decompression.

After finishing the basic course, the student can move on to the Technical Nitrox Diver (IANTD) or Tec-Deep Diver (PADI). In this course, the student dives as deep as 55 meters with two oxygen-rich tanks (one is pure oxygen) for decompression. The 30-minute deep dive practice at 55m will necessitate another 50 mins for decompression. Apart from the deep dive practice, the student thoroughly studies the high pressure impact on the diver and psychological changes and works on improving posture and buoyancy control technique.

The final course is Trimix Diver. The diver uses a combination of low oxygen, low nitrogen and high helium gas mixtures for an 80m dive. This gas mix is essential for such a deep dive as ordinary pressurized air places negative impacts on the diver’s body at depths of more than 55m. The 21% in air after 55m depth will cause the diver to conrulse and even lose consciousness - this is oxygen toxcity. Inappropriate usage of the trimix gases, however, will also cause problems; therefore, specialized training is a must.

All the technical diving courses include lectures, pool work and deep water practice. The ratio of instructor to student is much lower than in recreational diving courses in which one instructor handles 3 to 4 students and the ratio is even stricter for certain courses, to account for the more complicated nature of the course.

Technical Diving is still a risky activity, the technique and experience learnt from technical diving can feed back into recreational diving to improve the safety standard for the whole diving industry.
Visit Pemba Island for further information.

Snow Causes Traffic Chaos Across Britain

Severe weather in the UK has caused complete disruption of transport systems with many cancellations of trains, buses and flights. And forecasters have warned that more heavy snow is set to hit the British shores as the UK endures its coldest winter for 13 years.

Met office forecasters have issued warnings that snowstorms from Russia, brewing over the north sea, will bring even more freezing temperatures, biting winds and snow. While the weather may improve for a while, forecasters warn of more heavy snow on its way this week.

The Automobile Association have warned people not to treat their cars as overcoats. If they break down or if the road ahead is blocked they will need to leave their vehicles and must ensure that they are adequately protected against the cold, else they will risk hypothermia.

London and the Southeast of England have experienced the heaviest snow falls in the region for 20 years. London mayor, Boris Johnson, was forced to shut down the whole of the London bus network due to the effects of the severe winter weather. Disruption to public transport has led many people to work from home and lots of schools are still closed.

The worst snowstorm to hit London for 20 years has cancelled hundreds of flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. The closure of one of Heathrow airport’s busy runways resulted in more than 650 flight cancellations. The outlook for travellers this week continues to look uncertain as forecasters predict even more severe weather.

The cancellation of many trains and buses is resulting in lots of people attempting to get to the airports by car. The icy road conditions are making driving treacherous, particularly on untreated local roads and hills. The roads are littered with abandoned cars, buses and trucks, some blocking carriageways.

Anyone who is hoping to fly from Heathrow or Gatwick is advised to contact their airport before leaving home. And if you are planning to take your car to the airport be sure to pre-book your Heathrow parking or Gatwick parking space in advance to be certain of a place.

The current advice is: ‘if your journey isn’t vital, stay at home’.