Posts filed under 'USA Travel'
Dream break competition results
Well folks, it’s finally over. Our Build Your Own Dream Break competition had the Superbreak office in a tizz for some weeks, and I have to say we’re glad to have a little bit of time to relax after the rush to collect all of the entries and decide on a winner.
And guess what? The effort was fantastic. We got hundreds of entries ranging from the sweet and romantic to the downright bizarre, with a surprising amount of you choosing to build your dream break right here at home. There were plenty of entries looking to enjoy a break in Edinburgh, London, Liverpool, the Lake District, Inverness and here in York
We also discovered dreams involving Spain, Italy, France, Norway and Germany, with many of you hoping to take advantage of the cold weather by heading off on New Year or Christmas breaks, filled with romance, snow and walks through idyllic city settings. Some of you, however, wanted nothing more than to jet off for a holiday in the sun in destinations like Hawaii, Sydney, the Caribbean, New Zealand and a host of South American destinations like Peru and Mexico. It was clear our entrants really got their imaginations going and ran wild with their dreams – especially one fellow who included the presence of Angelina Jolie in his!
Unfortunately, there’s only so much Superbreak can do – and that isn’t one of them. One thing we did do, however, was pick a winner. And it was tough. There were heaps of fantastic dreams and cutting them down to end up with only one was a truly nightmarish task. But we managed, and our congratulations go to Paul Marshall for his poignant entry, which we hope he can make true with the £1000 prize which can be used to tailor make a break on our website.
As for the rest of you who didn’t manage next time, keep your eyes peeled. We had so much fun with this competition that we’re already brainstorming the next – so good luck and keep dreaming!
Add comment 06/11/2009
Time is running out to win a dream break!
Many of you will be aware that Superbreak is currently running a build your dream break competition, where you have to tell us what your idea of the perfect break would be. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, we want you to do it in twenty words or less – and that’s where the fun begins. Trying to pack your idea of the perfect holiday into just twenty words has clearly been proving to be something of a difficult task, but keep them coming and you never know your luck!
We’ve had heaps of entries so far, from the nice-but-normal romantic city break style choices to some really wacky and adventurous ones. It’s been a pleasure reading them so far, and the competition has had all of the Superbreak office buzzing over the last few weeks – I think there’s more than a few of us who have been eyeing up our last days of annual leave after being inspired by your suggestions.
So go ahead and tell us what your dream break would be. Don’t worry, you can be as imaginative as you like – after all, we’re looking for an eye-catching winner whose dreams we can turn into reality. That’s not to say we don’t adore the slightly more usual ones too, meaning that you’ve got a great chance no matter what your ideal break would be.
And time is running out – the competition closes on Halloween, October 31, which is just a little over a week away – now there’s a scary thought! Keep the entries coming and you can also add me to Twitter to stay up to date on how the competition is going. Good luck!
Add comment 21/10/2009
Give an amazing gift for Christmas this year – a holiday
Every year in the run up to Christmas, we get a lot of interest on the phones about our Superbreak gift vouchers as they’re such a handy gift to give your friends and family at Christmas. Superbreak gift vouchers are versatile and can be used to book trips away through the Superbreak website, meaning your loved ones can choose the holiday and gift they want most of all.
I thought I’d do a blog post about them, seeing as it seems that the Christmas spirit is already in the air – if the number of people Christmas shopping in town is anything to go by. The vouchers offer a way for you to buy thoughtful gifts for loved ones without having to spend hours and hours in town at its busiest times – and means that you’ll be guaranteed to give them the gift they really want. A lot of people think it’s a little impersonal to buy someone vouchers at Christmas, but let’s face it – there’s a good chance that when you make the selection of what particular CD, piece of clothing or even short break a person might like, you could be wrong. By giving a voucher, you get to be as generous as you like while ensuring the recipient has the freedom to choose to spend it on what they really want.
This could be anything, from an amazing romantic trip to Paris, a historic trek along the Great Wall of China or a short break in Berlin to feel the buzz of a city brimming with life. Maybe you think your parents would like a trip to a big city when all they want is to relax on a seaside break, or you think your best friends would adore visiting Prague when they’d love nothing more than to check out London in style – by giving Superbreak vouchers, you can make sure that your friends and family will be able to go on the short break they want to.
There’s a huge amount of amazing breaks to choose from theatre breaks and concerts at the O2 to spa breaks, speciality breaks and even airport products can be purchased with our vouchers.
You can find out more about Superbreak gift vouchers and, conveniently, order them online in various denominations. Don’t forget that you’ve still got the opportunity to score a great break for yourself, too! Our win a dream break competition is still in full swing and you could win your dream break by entering our simple, fun competition.
Add comment 06/10/2009
Halloween is coming; the ghost is getting fat…
Already, people are beginning to chat around the Superbreak office about what their plans are for Halloween this year. It sounds like there could be a party coming up soon, so I’d better start thinking about what I’m going to wear now so I can plan how to win the best costume prize!
Halloween is an exciting tradition in the UK, but from what I’ve heard nobody does it like the US. I know several people who have visited the States during autumn and come back raving about how America does Halloween – so I thought I’d do some searching and find out just what I might expect if I headed there on a short break around the end of October.
Let’s just say that Americans do exactly the same as what the British do – but bigger. From suburban displays of fiendish pumpkins in New York City, where stacked apartments proudly show off their carving skills with ghoulish faces present in windows all the way up the building, to the fear-behind-the-picket-fence of New England towns, where gardens become graveyards and cobwebs are created rather than dusted away, it’s clear that Americans know how to celebrate the holidays.
I also read about some fantastic sounding haunted house parties in Los Angeles where costumed revellers turn up to a spooky mansion and explore inside its walls, with various things jumping out at them before they manage to find the hidden party room, where all sorts of food and drink are available – like eyeballs in a bowl, jellied brains (fake, presumably!) and plenty of ghoulish drinks.
Even just trick or treating is bigger in America. A co-worker used to live in Chicago in the Great Lakes and he told me that in the suburbs it’s not strange for people to hide candies in their front gardens and invite local kids to search for them – though you need to have a big supply on standby as they’re very good at finding things!
And if you’re really wanting to check out a large scale Halloween celebration, I found out about an event in Texas called Boo at the Zoo. Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville opens its doors to visitors with a vast amount of carnival games to entertain, as well as a huge haunted house to explore making it a definite tempting location for a Halloween break.
I love Halloween and I can’t wait for it to come around this year – but it looks like my enthusiasm could be beaten by that of many Americans!
1 comment 14/09/2009
Go green for your next break
I’m sure we’ve all heard plenty of it – and maybe some of you have had enough of it – but all the hype about going green has got me thinking about how people are feeling about going on holiday. While it’s true that flying to exotic locations uses plane fuel, which equals nasty carbon being released into the environment, I thought I’d take a look at some of the destinations that could let eco-conscious travellers offset some of the damage and enjoy a guilt free holiday.
After a little bit of consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that adventure type holidays could be among some of the best breaks for people who don’t want to cause much environmental impact. Obviously, I don’t mean skydiving trips or anything like that, but the kind of outdoors holidays where you can hike across amazing mountains like the Appalachians in the US and Canada, or plunge through the jungle of the Amazon Rainforest that spans across the South American countries of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia – to name but a few!
Then there’s heart-in-your-mouth extreme sports like white water rafting – which would be amazing to do in somewhere like New Zealand, what with all of that breathtaking scenery on either side. That is, if you’re not too terrified to take it in. In the same region, there’s camping trips to the Australian outback where you can explore the desert, see stunning mountainscapes and listen to the sounds of a starry night.
Camping is definitely one of the best ways make your trip more eco-friendly. Your accommodation needs no electricity and it’s easy to take any waste with you to dispose of properly and pop into local recycling facilities either on-site in some camping parks or at the nearest sign of civilisation. It’s also a brilliant way to save money – something I wrote about a couple of weeks ago when I noticed the camping trends jumping up around Scotland.
Of course, if it’s an extreme sport style holiday, I know I’d definitely prefer the opportunity for a proper shower and the comfort of a hotel bed after a busy day’s adventuring – and knowing I could do it with minimum impact on the environment makes it all the more worthwhile.
Add comment 12/08/2009
The world’s best patriotic celebrations
I’ve been reading a lot recently about all the different Independence Day celebrations that took place in the USA – and in the UK at US-themed fancy dress parties – over the weekend. It all looks like so much fun, from the various firework displays in different cities (the ones in San Francisco are said to be amongst the most spectacular) to major concerts from music superstars like Rihanna and the Foo Fighters.
It’s all got me thinking – patriotic celebrations are often such lavish spectacles that it’s the perfect time to visit a country and enjoy the very best of what it has to offer. For example, I have friends that organise breaks in Dublin for every St Patrick’s Day – but they do this at the end of the summer, even though the celebration is in March, just so they can ensure they’ve got somewhere good to stay! And my Scottish friends absolutely love going home for St Andrew’s Day, as someone’s always having a party of some sort.
Next week, it’s Bastille Day in France, a national celebration that marks the Storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution. This is pretty spectacular too, with a parade taking place down the famous Champs-Élysées in Paris, as well as a beautiful firework display illuminating the Eiffel Tower.
Another national day festivity that’s guaranteed to be fun is Australia Day, which takes place in January – in the middle of the Australian summer. As a public holiday in the country, Australia Day plays host to loads of parties and concerts, as well as the announcement of the Australian of the Year Award – presented by the Prime Minister to an Australian citizen who has contributed a lot to the Australian community and nation.
I haven’t been to either France or Australia on their national days, but I was in India for its Independence Day celebrations every 15th August when I was travelling there many years ago. It really was a lot of fun and, despite the fact that me and my backpacking buddies were British – and Independence Day, of course, marks India’s independence from British rule – everyone got us to join in. A couple we had met invited us to their parents’ house for dinner and there were loads of games played and stories swapped – not to mention great food!
I guess what I’m saying is, if you are visiting a country during its national day festivities, make the most of it – people are sure to be welcoming and friendly, and you’ll probably get to experience a jubilance that may only occur once a year.
Add comment 08/07/2009
Going green in San Francisco
I was watching the film Milk the last week, which is about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in the USA. I liked it a lot more than I expected to and Sean Penn is fantastic in it as Mr Milk, so I’m not surprised he won the Oscar earlier this year. But as well as turning my mind to the awful injustices of the time, the film made me think about San Francisco as a city – and how much I want to visit again.
I’ve been to San Francisco once on a family holiday when I was in my teens and, from what I can remember, I adored it. At the same time, I couldn’t help thinking that I’d get more out of the city if I came back when I was older – especially when we walked past welcoming-looking bars! What’s more, I’m determined to make my next holiday an eco-friendly one, and I think San Francisco might be just the answer.
Yes, I know that California is half way round the world and of course, I’ll have to fly there! But my research tells me that, once I get there, there will be plenty of ways to keep my travel green. San Francisco is widely known as one of the greenest cities in the United States. Its forward-thinking mayor Gavin Newsom is planning to implement mandatory recycling for all households in the city, and he’s also promised to make every taxi in San Francisco convert to become a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle by 2011.
There seems to be plenty of ways to enjoy San Francisco’s main attractions in an eco-friendly way too. For starters, who ever said that you had to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to truly appreciate its magnificence? I’ll walk or bike across instead! There seem to be a few environmentally-friendly tours to take too. Mr Toad’s Tours, for instance, apparently use propane-powered pre-1930s touring cars, while the 74X CultureBus offers an economical and eco-friendly way to see the city’s main museums.
It’s early days yet, but I’m hoping my plan will come together. The official visitor’s guide to eco-friendly ways to see the city is pretty useful but if you’ve got any insider tips on how to go green in San Francisco, I’d love to hear them.
Add comment 16/04/2009
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas
Posted by Chris
After months of build up and excitement it is all over. No not Christmas!!!, my holiday to the USA. I do not think I have ever been so excited about a holiday in my life, I am sure I get worse as I get older. Unfortunately as we know all good things must come to an end – but I wanted to let everyone know that despite the weak pound there is still some fantastic value to be had in the states.
We started our trip in Las Vegas – where believe it or not, it was snowing (in the middle of the desert!). Now because of the economic situation Vegas was reasonably quiet as many Americans stay close to home. As we all know there are tens of thousands of hotel rooms to fill in the city, therefore the hotels are offering some amazing discounts to entice people to stay. If you are a gambler, I recommend joining the players clubs that each casino operates – as well as earning cash back on your spend they will usually give you loads of coupons to use in the bars and restaurants with some great savings. We found a 3 course Steak dinner (with one of the coupons) for just $5.99 – and it was amazing. Of course, if you want to blow the bank it is really easy to do so in what they call ‘Sin City’ however we did discover that Las Vegas on a budget can be just as much fun – everyone always says “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, make sure its not all of your money!
After 4 days of too much eating, drinking and not enough sleeping we moved onto New York for, well … more of the same. The Big Apple is renowned as being an expensive city, but at the moment they are almost giving things away to encourage you to spend your dollars! I spent hours in Macys, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Century 21 ….. in fact anywhere there was a sale taking place. Many items were 75% off the already reduced prices and I bagged bargains galore. For attractions, The New York pass is your best bet – gives free entry into everything you want to see like The Empire State Building, Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty, Intrepid and Madame Tussauds to name just a few and we saved absolute fortune over the individual entry prices.
Then we rounded off our trip in Connecticut, spending a fantastic (and very white) Christmas and New Year with family and thankfully, still with enough money left in our pockets to consider doing it all over again!
Add comment 09/01/2009
