Free Vacations: Fact or Fiction

Is there such thing as a free vacation? Of course not! However, did you know that there is such a thing as free accommodation?

You receive a call from a “travel agency” and they are currently offering a free vacation package or they say you won free plane tickets to an exotic location. You hear about this all the time and usually you also find out after the fact that it was all some sort of travel or vacation scam.

The economy is bad and you are already hesitant to go away on vacation, yet you know the hazards of not taking that much needed time off. So you book your trip, you pay your deposit, you hop on a flight, and your nightmare begins! Do not let this happen to you!

You hear about them, you some times even unknowingly provide them with the information that they need to contact you. You fill out a form, enter a draw, buy some sort of lottery ticket, or just fill out a questionnaire and suddenly there they are on the other end of the line trying to relieve you of your hard earned money. Don’t be fooled nothing is free, but there are ways of saving a significant amount of money on your family vacations.

Did you know that many countries offer free lodging to travelers? Some cultures do that because of religious and charitable ideals while others do it because they believe that they can benefit from knowing you and your culture. One of the most common places to get free accommodation is through Monasteries in countries like Italy, France and Spain.

Several monastic orders define hospitality/charity as one of their vows and they are only too happy to accommodate us for a night or two. Remember, these monasteries are usually in the rural areas and you may still need to give them a token gift but it’s a wonderful lesson for our family to see how people can live with so little “stuff” and still be contented in life. This stay may save your family millions later in life because of the lessons learned in frugality.

Always remember to use their resources sparingly and leave the rooms as clean as they were before your family used it and remember to give them an offering, whether it’s a few dollars or an item of clothing, or perhaps a blanket or afghan.

Italy hotel, smarts tips..... just try Filcoo

Filcoo is one of the most popular Italian website brand in the Internet travel marketplace.

Offering services such as hotels booking and fare compare, filcoo encourages its customers to focus on cost and at least offer then the perception that they are getting the best deal.

Founded in 2005, filcoo has several thousand registered users and booked. Filcoo.com present day website ‘look and feel' is starting to rely more on a higher percentage of graphics.

An efficient, logical, knowledgeable nice looking website, filcoo focus on offering best value Internet Italy hotels deals.

The fact however remains that filcoo have now held the number one position in the online Italy hotels booking, thanks to a superior understanding of technology within the Internet travel marketplace. This has enabled for them to gain first mover advantage in the sector by forming appropriate strategic alliances.

In addition, filcoo have an extensive affiliate marketing portfolio of partners. Filcoo continually offering other websites the opportunity to market their services in exchange for a percentage of the final booking fee. (Commonly around 7,5%) Compared with their nearest competitor, filcoo have been much more aggressive with their use of affiliate marketing.
Filcoo also focus is to keep link exchange efficient, fair, and most of all beneficial for the whole internet community. The internet community contains users, webmasters, and search engines. Every link in the Filcoo Directory has been validated and approved manually.
The accommodations listed and sorted by hundred of criteria are connected to top search engines, travel networks of the world and to numerous specialized portals without investing a penny. Filcoo provide everything at no cost. Controlling rates and availability at anytime instantaneously and directly, for the sole purpose to offer the user the best available on the net.

et Football font ils Bon Menage

En effet, Casino 888.com sponsorisait le FC Toulouse et PartyGaming le FNCA de Nantes! Oui mais voila, c'était sans compter sur la Ligue Professionnelle de Football.

Dimanche dernier, sur les maillots du FC Toulouse, on retrouvait bien les couleurs du casino mais les signes ???.com. Qu'est ce donc ???.com me direz-vous. Il s'agit tout simplement de son sponsor Casino 888.com.

Pourquoi?
Alors que les joueurs ont pour obligation de porter les couleurs et le nom du casino, la Ligue professionnelle a, quant à elle, décidée d'exclure les casinos de la publicité et du sponsoring. D'où l'omission. Or, tout le monde l'aura compris le sigle - faisait bien référence au casino sponsor de l'équipe.

La Ligue explique son refus. Du fait de l'arrestation de certains géants de casinos en ligne depuis le mois de septembre, dont le derneir en date de Bwin arreté en France, la ligue se voit le droit d'interdire la publicité, le sponsoring pour les paris en ligne.

Samedi, une autre équipe, la FC Monaco a rencontré le même problème que le FC Toulouse lors de son match face au Mans. Un représentant de l'équipe explique que, sans cette alternative, le coup d'envoi du match n'aurait pu être donné.

On se souvient encore des paroles de Jean-Luc Gripond, vice-président du club nantais, "le FCNA a décidé de s'associer à un nouveau sponsor disposant: "premièrement une dimension internationale, et notre football a besoin de partenaires de cette dimension, deuxièmement un lien avec les nouvelles technologies, ce qui représente pour nous le futur".


Qu'en est il aujourd'hui?
Un enquête a été menée ( voir notre article Bonnes Nouvelles pour les Casinos en Ligne).

Les paris sont monopole d'état en France et on pourrait penser que l'arrestation des cadres de BWin s'est opérée au bénéfice de la Française des jeux. Aussi, peu de temps après, la Commission européenne a décidé de s'intéresser de plus près à la question du monopole d'État pour les paris et les jeux. La volonté de la commission est clairement affichée, soit les États membres les considèrent néfastes pour leurs ressortissants et interdisent totalement les jeux en ligne, soit ils les autorisent et permettent aux sociétés comme 888.com d'offrir leurs services sur le marché.

What's Your Passion?

Okay, you've decided you want to make money with Affiliate Marketing. So, you join some affiliate programs and start submitting free ads to newsletters and free advertising classifieds sites. You're going to make BIG money now -- right?

Nope! Sorry! Just sending out a few ads is not going to do it. Not if you want to be a real success.

You must first determine your passion. I mean other than making the money! What is your hobby? What do you know how to do REALLY well? What is your job? Everyone has something that is their own special talent. Find yours.

You probably have more than one thing that you are very interested in and do well. See if you can find five (ten if you're really ambitious). Write them down in a list. Remember, you are going to be spending a lot of time working with this subject. Make sure you enjoy it!

Go down each item on your list. Start writing a rough outline of everything you know about the topic. It doesn't have to be elaborate. This is just to give you an idea of how much information is available for a given subject.

Try mind mapping. Write down the main subject of your idea. Draw a circle around it. Now, start thinking of sub-categories that are related to your main category. Draw a line from your main category and end it with a circle. Put the sub-category title inside this circle. Find as many sub-categories (and sub-sub-categories) as you can.

Go through each of your interests with this procedure. Choose the one that you know the most about and that you can write about comfortably.
What if you "think" you don't know enough about your topic? Then, do some research. Read books and magazines. Do some searches on the Internet. Who knows? You might find an area, a niche, that is just waiting for you to fill it with useful information.

There's a lot more to affiliate marketing, of course. But the first step is to find your passion. Your "passion" doesn't have to be making money on the Internet. It can be cooking, sewing, billiards, or whatever. In fact, it's better if you find a niche that isn't in the online marketing arena because that's what nearly everyone else is doing.

Make your topic unique. Make it yours. And make it your passion. It will pay you well.

Tips For Better Vacation Photos

Here are a few tips that will improve the quality of your vacation pictures.

Modern cameras allow are now all point and shoot. But there is one thing that we do have complete control of and that is the composition of the photo.

Good composition can be achieved by anyone. Before you click, take a second to think about three things.

What is the center of interest in the picture? It may be a building, person, animal, or a landscape feature. Whatever it is, stop and get a mental focus on it.

What is the best viewpoint? Maybe you should move to the left or right, back up or get closer, zoom in or out. Each spot will present a slightly different background and foreground. Try to eliminate distractions, things that intrude unnecessarily into the picture.

An easy way to estimate the composition is to make a viewfinder with your hands. Put the tips of your thumbs together, hands flat. Make a square using both thumbs and forefingers. Hold the square up in front of you so that your subject is visible through it.

What makes an effective background? You don't want the background to contain objects that are irrelevant to the center of focus. A good background will not immediately draw attention away from the foreground by being too powerful.

What makes an effective foreground? Ideally the foreground should catch the eye and lead it to the center of interest. Or it can serve to frame the picture as long as it adds interest and doesn't become too overpowering.

When taking long shots, don't let the sky dominate. Look for ways to introduce perspective in the foreground. A road, path, or other objects with strong lines can lead the eye deep into the picture.

A long shot is fine if you are specifically trying to include something in the background. But often it's difficult to recognize who is in the photo. Don't be afraid to get in close when the subject is a person. Closeups can get yield some great facial expressions, especially if the shot is unplanned.

Using a digital camera? Go crazy and take a million shots. That way you are sure to have plenty of good pictures and just delete the ones you don't want.

The Lost Art of Vacationing

The stock markets are rocky, and the economy is in rough shape. Work is even more stressful then normal, and a pay raise seems like an idea of days gone by!

With today’s high stress work environment and challenging economy it is more important then ever to be able to get away from it all and relax. Yet with today’s economic uncertainty you hesitate to spend the money on a family vacation for fear that the money may be required later.

Any doctor or therapist will tell you that taking time away from the stress of work is a necessary way to recharge body and soul. It can improve health and restore the body’s ability to fight infection and withstand stress. The need for vacations and down time away from work is more essential than ever. Yet, with a declining economy and an uncertain job market fewer and fewer people can afford to vacation with their families.

This does not need to be the case. These last few years have seen massive changes in the vacation market. There are new options available for families that wish to vacation together that do not require huge infusions of cash. It’s a new market and it represents a complete shift in the way we think about our vacation time.

The timeshares, all inclusive resorts, and villa rentals now have to compete with destination clubs, exchange programs, points programs, a wholesale vacation market, and what is now a hugely competitive cottage rental real-estate market. Did you know you can actually rent a cottage and get it as an “all inclusive” package? This was not possible 10 years ago but it is now.

Do not let work, or a bad economy stop you from taking advantage of all these new and great family vacation alternatives. The risks are far too great, and the rewards are even greater. Quality family time improves health, and creates a solid, stable and healthy environment. It is one of the best and most effective methods for reducing stress, and in the end, it actually increases productivity.

Enjoy your time off. Enjoy spending it with your family and your friends and make sure that you get your well deserved break from work. Enjoy!

Tailored Cheap Discount Holiday Travel

Cheap holiday travel isn’t just restricted to package holidays. You can get great deals on hotels and flights when you book them separately.

There’s no reason why you should compromise your travel plans just to save money. Today’s travel market is intensely competitive and it’s fairly straightforward to put together your own itinerary for a fraction of the normal cost.

1. Flights

Cheap flights are available from nearly all the airports across Europe, allowing you to fly at a low cost. What’s more, you can take in several destinations in one trip without having to pay o fortune for internal flights or train fares. The growing accessibility of flights and destinations means that, with a bit of flexibility, you can find cheap flights that suit your holiday needs.

2. Accommodation

From apartments and villas to hotels, you can find great deals on accommodation in the location of your choice. Savings on flights could mean you have more to spend on accommodation, whilst saving on both may allow you to stay for a few more nights. Many discount travel websites have special offers and low-cost alternatives that could provide you with exactly the accommodation you need.

3. Car hire

Car hire has become increasingly competitive, with small independent companies often offering better rates than the established firms. You can often get a discount on car hire prices by booking online and, by shopping around, you can get great deals. Be careful not to be seduced by upgrades and offers when you collect your car though, or you could end up spending much more than you wanted to.

4. Money

It’s now possible to get very competitive exchange rates, making your holiday money go further. Researching currency exchange outlets on the internet should give you an idea of which rates are best for you.

No matter where you want to go, you can probably find a cheap or discount travel agency that can help you plan without spending all your money.