Travel & Vacation Guide, North Carolina

By Caitlin Moore

Vacation rentals make great choices when you’re visiting a destination that’s outdoors-oriented and blessed with lots of natural beauty. They’re also nice when you’re staying in a bustling city, as they make it easy to live like a local and visit all the sophisticated attractions of a downtown area. Asheville happens to be a busy little place filled with cultural draws that is also conveniently within reach of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, so choosing a vacation property for your upcoming visit makes double sense.

Picture driving up to a wood cabin and unloading your bags as you breathe in the fresh mountain air. You and your family will be thrilled to head up the walk and unlock the solid door, taking care to wipe your feet on the welcome mat before you enter your new home away from home. The fragrant, sunshine-filled lodge will feel immediately cozy and welcoming, and as the kids run around checking out each bedroom and calling dibs on the bed of their choice (there’s a fold-out sofa, too, but you may not even have to use it) you’ll realize what good fortune it was that you decided to take this lodging route.

With three decks you’ll have access to a trio of breathtaking views at varying times of day, a year-round pleasure but something that will come in especially handy during the explosive autumns. Sit back with a cup of hot cocoa and watch the leaves smolder before your very eyes. During the winter you’ll be able to find yourself skiing down the slopes minutes after stepping out the front door, and warmer weather will bring you cause to take advantage of the hiking trails that can be glimpsed from this privileged perch. Any day, any time, you’ll be happy that you’ve escaped to the wooded wonders of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

In between fishing and boating on Lake Julian, checking out Flat Rock Playhouse, stopping by the Carl Sandburg Home and catching some tunes at the Brevard Music Festival, you’ll find many comfortable moments within the walls of your unique vacation rental. From the blender in the kitchen to the grill in the backyard, lots of needs and wants that normally go overlooked during holidays will be easily accommodated. The mornings will find everyone gathering in the breakfast nook for a quick, easy (and cheap) meal of scrambled eggs or cereal, and the evenings will be filled with board games, card playing and movie watching. All in all, it’ll be easy to feel at home here.

Most cabins and chalets are just a few minutes from downtown Asheville, but if you’d like to be closer to this eclectic and artsy city, that’s more than possible. In the heart of the historic district you’ll find a few cute-as-a-button cottages perfect for a second honeymoon or romantic getaway of any kind. It’ll be a cinch to stroll over to a nearby restaurant or antique store when the mood strikes, and if you feel like preparing a meal at “home” or bringing back some takeout to be enjoyed with a bottle of wine on the patio, go right ahead.

You’ll be amazed at the few lucky properties that feel like they’re tucked away into the woods but are in fact close enough to the city that you’ll forget about factoring in the price of gas along with your daily expenses. French doors, potted plants, soft sheets and a wrap-around porch will all make you feel special; so much so that you may find it hard to tear yourself away from your little chalet in order to see the sights of the city. More than one traveler has ended up getting lost in a book or in conversation with their lover instead of running around like a frazzled tourist. Sounds perfect.

If the idea of settling down in above average accommodations for a delightful vacation sounds like the kind of getaway you not only want, but need, then set the wheels in motion. Go online to discover an sheville Vacation Rental that will suit your taste, style, and situation and then start counting the days until you’re sitting pretty in the cabin, condo, chalet or cottage of your dreams.

By David Bain

In the past, before the advent of the Internet, it has largely been too time consuming or too expensive for the average consumer to deal directly with the travel operator and personally arrange every aspect of their holiday. Travel agents became a trusted and speedy medium via which the holiday consumer could book a ‘package’ that would otherwise be impossible for the independent consumer to find.

The role of the travel agent includes three key tasks:

1) Perform the function of the information broker, passing information between buyers and suppliers

2) Process transactions including printing tickets and forwarding money to suppliers

3) Advise travellers on places to go, things to do and other important information

These three tasks have been lampooned by the information and facilities provided on the Internet. Consumers have recently realised that it is possible to research their planned holiday fully online. Users can find out about specific regional information at the click of a mouse. Small local hotels, specific local attractions and regional tours can be researched with ease before a booking is considered.

In the early years of the Internet, consumers tended not to trust booking online. It was perceived that parting with credit card details over the Internet was not a secure method of payment. Users instead tended to research everything they wanted to know before hand – and then contact their travel agent either face-to-face or over the phone to book their holiday package.

The Internet offers an effective means for developing a single and sustainable electronic infrastructure for information gathering and business transactions for both travellers and suppliers. It is an ideal method for people to source information on travel. It is therefore essential for travel-related Websites to offer useful, pertinent and easy-to-find information alongside a booking facility if appropriate. The Internet can be used to fully research a destination, book all aspects of the holiday including travel and communicate others who have the same ideas or have been through similar experiences. It gives travellers an excellent opportunity to compare and contrast everything on offer before they make a purchase.

The information available online is continually being reformatted and presented in a more logical, easy-to-use and read format. The volume of consumers that rely on this information to make travel-related decisions will therefore continue to rise. In addition, features and benefits of using the Internet to research and book holidays are improving and being added to all the time. For example, consumers no longer have to receive printed tickets from the travel operator. They simply print out any information that they require themselves after they receive it automatically via email.

The Internet has meant that people can now easily plan trips for themselves. This has not only opened up a greater amount of discounts available to the general public, but also given people the fun and enjoyment of planning and booking their own trips.

Are travel agents a thing of the past? The future isn’t looking too rosy for them. They might perhaps retain their presence in certain specialist markets, where they can offer a unique service to individual market segments – but if you’re a ‘love all, serve all’ travel agent you’ve probably seen your income levels drop significantly over the last few years.

David Bain is founder of the UK tourist information website http://www.TREKtheUK.com. TREKtheUK is a comprehensive UK tourist information guide featuring lots of places to go and things to do.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Bain