Some of the best beaches in the area are just about an hour south of Tampa, off Sarasota. A few years back, we went to the Anna Maria Island and Siesta Key area, and stayed in a lovely house on the beach overnight. Siesta Key is small - just 8 miles long, and it’s remained a quaint, quiet area. There’s not much traffic or noise, the homes are well cared for, and you can walk to restaurants and shops. This Siesta Key Vacation & Accommodations Guide gives you a hint of what you can expect from the area, but you’ll still be amazed when you see it in person. It’s truly off the beaten path and quite different from the beaches around Tampa. The sand is soft, like walking in flour, and it’s a great place to go shelling.

The Siesta Key guide has tons of information on local events, things to do, and places to see. Whether you want to swing in a hammock for your entire vacation, or see some action, you can find it all with this handy dandy guide. I really enjoyed the section showing what movies have been filmed in Siesta Key and the surrounding areas. It would be neat to watch a few after a trip to see if you can recognize any palm trees!

What’s the Napoleonic Code? Mexico’s law is based on Napoleonic Code where guilt is assumed over innocence. If you ever travel to Mexico and plan on driving there, it’s something you need to know about, specifically, how Mexico and the Napoleonic code affect you if you’re in an auto accident in Mexico. Unlike the US, where we have “no fault” rules, auto accidents are considered to be civil and criminal offenses in Mexico. Even for a MINOR accident, you will need to pay for damages, prove you have insurance, and report claims immediately - or risk being sent to jail!

Did you know that insurance from the USA and Canada will NOT be recognized in Mexico? Never fear! You can buy a policy online for Mexican auto insurance that will give you the coverage you need, specifically for your trip south of the border. Mexico isn’t like the states - and you don’t want to run the risk of being caught without insurance!

I didn’t even realize that you needed special auto insurance to drive in Mexico. I guess we’re lucky we’ve never attempted it. We walked over a bridge once from El Paso and we’ve cruised to Mexico several times, but we’ve never attempted driving.

Speaking of hotels in Tampa (the ones NOT on fire…ha!), if you ever need a cheap hotel, or cheap flights, I highly recommend a site called SideStep.com - I’ve used it for years. Normally, comparing prices online for hotels, flights, and car rentals means that you’ve got to:

1. Go to each site, like Travelocity, or Expedia, or Alamo
2. Plug in your dates and destination
3. Take note of prices
4. Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 as many times as needed
5. Compare prices

Who wants that hassle? At Sidestep, you just put in your information ONCE, and hit search. You’ll be shown a listing of all prices for that particular city (when searching for a hotel) or flight or rental car. You can pick the cheapest option, or maybe you want a flight without a layover? No problem - you can filter your airfare search results by fare class, children, or if you prefer non-stop. You can now use Sidestep to find vacation packages and cruises, too!

I’ve been using the site to find deals for years, and it’s a great tool. You’ll save time and money, and you won’t get annoyed by having to type in the dates you want at 10 different sites to compare prices. Oh - and it’s FREE!

When in Rome…do as the Romans do? If you think that’s a good rule of thumb to follow, you’d probably want to live like a high roller the next time you’re in Palm Springs, California. A day out on the golf course, a quick dip in the pool at your resort, and then an hour long rub down from a local Palm Springs massage service. Just think about it - the very same hands rubbing all of those sore muscles on your back could have touched Charlie Sheen on his last vacation. Or Pamela Anderson! If you already live in Palm Springs, no need to check into a swanky hotel to get your rub down - this massage service offers in home services as well, or spa parties! Think they’d make a house call to Florida?

With the real estate market tanking (for the time being) here in Tampa, investors are looking to other locales for a place to park their money, and hopefully make some money. Topsail Island real estate is one such place. Topsail Island is located off the coast of North Carolina, which means it’s not as stinking hot and humid as here in the Sunshine state. The barrier island isn’t very big - just over 25 miles long, but the size allows the community to retain a down home family kind of feel, while being close enough to the big city (Wilmington, NC) that you don’t lose touch with the finer things in life.

Those of you looking for a quiet place to own a vacation home might just think that Topsail can’t be beat - it’s got golf, fishing, beaches, dining, marinas, and plenty to see and do. Rent your 2nd home out to tourist and enjoy it when you want to get away from the Florida heat! The weekly or monthly rental fees are more than enough to cover a mortgage, and the island is just a day away by car when you’re ready to BE the tourist. Now that’s the life for me!

The business world has it’s own terms and language. From over used cliches like “thinking outside the box” to phrases like user acceptance testing and fixed price and ledger and human resources generalist - it’s enough to make your head spin. And if you’re doing business with people from other countries, not only do you need to worry about the cultural differences (for instance, a standard 48 work week in Japan) but the language barrier as well. Knowing the language isn’t enough - you need to know the language of business. How does “marketing plan” translate into Japanese? Is there a word for “project manager” in German? If your a UK resident and you want to take courses in German, learn German in Cambridge, learn German in Leeds, learn German in Leicester - you’re in luck. SGI Business Languages offers courses at their office in London, or in the comfort of your own home or office. The instructors are all native speakers of the languages they teach, and can offer you the opportunity to become fluent in a language for both professional and social purposes.

Driving to Key West sucks. It’s a long trip, there’s not much to look at, and there’s no way to make it fun. And if you’re trying to get OUT of Key West after an event, like Fantasy Fest, be prepared for the highway to turn into a parking lot. I’m pretty excited to hear that Delta is starting a flight from Key West to Tampa and vice versa. It’s a non stop service and the flight takes just over an hour. Not bad for a drive that normally takes 8.

The only problems? Flights are only on Saturday, and they’re on a small 50 seater jet.

I know of quite a few Floridians, especially retired Floridians, who said “the heck with it!” and moved back north. What could prompt such a mass exodus of the Sunshine State? How about hurricanes, heat, and rising home prices? In particular, a lot of people have decided to make their new home in the mountains of North Carolina, or the foothills of Tennessee. With prices that cost much less than what we have here in Tampa, it’s easy to see why Asheville homes are so popular with people.

Now, before you discount North Carolina as a place that is lacking in diversity and culture, take a look at what the state has to offer. Asheville, located in western North Carolina has entertainment, arts, culture, fine dining, skiing, and other outdoor sports. Frommer’s named Asheville as one of 12 must see travel destinations this year! Downtown is hip and happening, and the outdoor activities are awesome, from hiking to boating to skiing to farmers markets. Oh, and did I mention the views? Gentle rolling hills, sloping mountains, fall colors, quaint small towns…I’d move just to be able to enjoy that view on a daily basis!

Massachusetts is on my list of states to visit still, in my quest to visit every state in the nation. My husband went to Boston for a wedding once, but that was “B.C” - Before Colleen. I came across this site selling Boston Condos. They illustrate the variety of availability across the city, from brownstones in Cambridge to new units in Back Bay. There’s a huge selection to be had in Boston, and the Boston Condo Group hopes to help you narrow down your search by dividing the available offerings into neighborhood and type of condo, i.e. new construction, a historic brownstone, or a renovated condo. The site even offers an MLS search, so that you can compare the listings on your own, and see where you’d like to live.

A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. I’m not sure why, but I’ve always been strangely fascinated by the Holocaust, the Nazi regime, and everything else that went on during World War II. I spent about 2 hours by myself at the museum, reading everything there, and just sitting in quiet thought for a while. If you ever get the chance to go, the museum is excellent, and really makes you think.

The next thing I’d like to do is visit Amsterdam and see the house where Anne Frank hid in the attic. I’ve read several books about her throughout the years, and she just captures me. I have three children, and the thought of hiding in a small annex with them for the time period that Anne’s family hid away - well, I can only imagine how hard it was. Jim went to Amsterdam a few years ago, and I’m not sure if he went to see where they lived or not. I think he was too busy being the other sites of Amsterdam! Since it was a guys trip, they just wanted a cheap hotel in Amsterdam, so that they’d have more money for indulging in some good beer…LOL! Aside from the Anne Frank house, there are a lot of other things to see in Amsterdam. The canals are beautiful, there are many parks and clubs, great shopping, and a very laid back atmosphere for such a cosmopolitan city. If we go, I want to stay in a much nicer hotel than my husband and his buddies chose - maybe one of the Amsterdam hotels bordering the canals!

How did people make hotel reservations before the internet was around? I remember going on road trips with my parents as a kid, and my mom had a little book from the Hampton Inn chain, showing all of their locations. We had to pull over and use a PAY PHONE to call the 800# - and whatever price they wanted to charge, we paid. Or we’d pull over at a place that looked nice and inquire about rates. One time we were outside of colonial Williamburg, VA during a holiday weekend, and every hotel, motel, inn, campground and bed & breakfast we stopped at was full. We slept in the CAR!! Three people, crammed into a Datsun - good times, good times! (At least as the only child, I got the entire back seat to myself!)

All I can say is, thank goodness times have changed. When I need to book a hotel, I get online and take care of it. There are simply too many hotel discounts to be found online to NOT do it that way. At HotelReservations.com, you’ll find hotels, motels, vacation resorts, adult getaways, vacation rentals, vacation packages, deals on airfare, rental cars, and more. The search engine makes it easy to find what you need when you plug in your dates and destination, but you can also use the advance search (they spelled it “advence” on their site - I guess they’re too focused on passing on the deals to worry about spell check!) to search by address, zip code, or the amenities that the hotels feature.

Putting together a vacation that includes a lot of friends or family? You can get special group rates on your hotel reservations if you need more than 9 rooms a day. Give it a whirl and see what kind of deals you can find in their worldwide destinations!

Well people, summer is coming. It’s April and we’re already running the a/c in my house. How about you? It’s days like this when I wish I lived somewhere other than Florida - not that I’m moving any time soon, but still, it’s nice to dream. But where would I go?

I’ve always said that I’d love to live in the mountains. Someplace with all 4 seasons. And somewhere that doesn’t get as hot and humid as Florida does. Marysville WA Real Estate be be just the place for Floridians looking to beat the heat. This small town is located in Washington state, bordered by mountains, close to Puget Sound. Some Marysville homes even offer views of Puget Sound. Now, I wonder if you’re able to see whales and such there? That would be amazing, to sit on your deck outside your house and do a bit of whale watching. Even if you can’t see whales, the wildlife is amazing - you’d probably see nesting eagles and a few deer and bears. Does it get humid in Washington state? I’m not sure it matters - because I don’t think ANY place could possible be as hot and humid as Florida is in the summer!

My husband and I spent some time looking into cruises of the Mediterranean recently. Living in Florida, when someone says “cruise” you tend to think of all of the ships leaving from Tampa, Miami, and Port Canaveral. But there’s a whole cruise ship industry that does nothing but sail the Mediterranean Sea! Most of the cruises we looked at left from Barcelona, Spain. If we were to do a vacation like this, staying a few days before and after in our departure city would be a must. You can find and book Barcelona hotels online, so I read up a bit about the city to see what there is to see there!

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain. There is a lot of Gothic architecture to soak up, as well as good food and warm sandy beaches. Easy To Book has a great map feature on their website which allows you to see exactly where each hotel is located within the city, as well as what attractions and points of interest are nearby.