Earth Friendly Traveling

Earth Friendly Traveling

I am a very Earth conscious guy, and I always try to do whatever possible in order to reduce my carbon footprint. I follow this same philosophy when I travel. Just because you are enjoying a trip doesn’t mean that you can’t be green. The following are some tips that you can use in order to have a great trip while reducing your carbon footprint.

Before Your Trip

You can do a lot of things to reduce energy consumption before you even embark on your trip. For example, when you are booking your trip, try to book a flight that does not have any layovers. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and fuel for an aircraft to take off from the airport, so a trip that has a couple of stops increases your carbon footprint dramatically.

Additionally, more weight on the airplane causes more fuel use, so make sure to pack light. Take a little time to check out the weather at your destination and pack accordingly. Pack what you know you will need to enjoy your trip, not necessarily what you think you might need. For example, if you are going to a destination of colder weather, pack just one jacket instead of multiple. Obviously, if just one person does this it won’t make too much of a difference, however if more and more passengers start packing this way, it will quickly add up to make a difference! Aside from helping the environment, there are a few added benefits to you, including: less baggage to carry around and as you will avoid paying baggage fees for having multiple or heavy bags.

During Your Trip

It is easy to be Earth friendly during your trip. Just do what you do at home and you will be set. For example, eat at local restaurants and shop at local stores. This helps support the local community and economy and reduces the need for food and goods to be shipped in from far away! By engaging in the local community, you support locally owned businesses, restaurants, and markets.

If you are going to rent a car, rent a fuel-efficient vehicle or hybrid, they are the way to go. This will minimize your energy consumption and make you one of the greenest travelers around. Popular mid-size sedans like an Altima can get 38 mpg on the highway. If you need a bigger SUV for your family vacation, consider the fact that GMC, for example, offers SUVs with hybrid power trains. A gasoline engine teams up with an electric motor. The big improvement is in city driving, where EPA ratings are often as good in the city as they are on the highway. Imagine a full-size SUV getting 22 or 23 mpg, even in the city.

Green Destinations

Upstate New York is a terrific destination for carbon conscious travelers. There is beautiful scenery to be found in the Finger Lakes Region. This region is full of the most gorgeous and pristine lakes to be found. Skaneateles Lake in particular is among the ranks of the cleanest lakes in the world. Travelers will also find award winning wineries scattered throughout the lakes here. For those who may not be as much into scenic locations as others, but still prefer to be green, head towards the city of Syracuse where they will find Destiny USA. This shopping mall is the largest “green” shopping mall in the world! It has also been LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Portland, Oregon has been designated “America’s Greenest City” for the second year in a row, so naturally, it would be a great idea to visit for a green vacation. Portland is a very bike-friendly community! Why not get a little exercise, go green, and sightsee all at the same time, right? Travelers will enjoy places like the Saturday Market, Lan Su Chinese Garden, and the Oregon Zoo.

As you can see, being green during your trip does not have to be difficult. With a bit of preparation before your trip and some Earth friendly decisions during, you can be sure that you will have a great time and leave a very small carbon footprint in the process.

Environmentally friendly online auto insurance shopping

Unless you happened to live in a compact city nation like Singapore where public transport is super efficient and you can get from anywhere in Singapore to anywhere else (in Singapore) by MRT (Mass Rapid Transport), you very likely needs an automobile. This would be particularly true of sprawling USA where an automobile is almost a life essential like air and water.

An automobile have been likened to a weapon by someone. It can maim, it can kill, it can destroy properties if wrongly or carelessly used. It is thus no surprise that every country under the sun makes a valid auto insurance as a prerequisite for allowing a vehicle to be used on public roads.

Purchasing insurance used to be a hassle especially if you are an incorrigible bargain hunter shopping for the best deal. But good news for you. Now with the Internet, you can easily compare the best auto insurance online from the comforts of your home. Any wonder if the Internet had been named as the invention of the century?

Boothsbay Harbor, Maine, USA

Boothbay Harbor Maine is a small town located in the Lincoln County, Maine, United States with a small population of 2,000 plus residents. However, during the summer months, the entire Boothbay Harbor region is transformed into a very popular yachting and tourist destination.

Among the places of interest of Boothbay Harbor are the Boothbay Harbor Opera House, Boothbay Region Historical Society & Museum, Burnt Island Light, Maine State Aquarium and the
Boothbay Railway Village.

For those who live to eat, perhaps of greater interest is the Boothbay Harbor Dining which serves the famous Maine lobsters as well as other fresh seafood newly caught from the surrounding waters.

And if you don't know where Boothsbay Harbor is, here is the....

Location map of Boothsbay Harbor, Maine, USA

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Security environment in Florida and California

I have heard that the security environment in Florida and California is deteriorating with more petty crimes and more serious house break-in's happening everyday. Being concerned with the safety of my family, if I ever move my whole family over to US, I am seriously considering installing home security or alarm to protect our home. Now I have seen the logo of ADT home security

on the facade of houses saying "This house is protected by ADT" or something to that effect, in my home country and is wondering if this little signboard is effective in deterring break-ins. I am not familiar with the security situation in Florida and California would like to find out if ADT in Florida and ADT in California are reliable providers of home security systems and if like in my home country, they not only provide the hardware for home security, they also have a central monitoring system by subscription whereby any alarm will trigger a call to their central monitoring system. Does these 2 providers of alarm systems also stick the "Secured by ADT" signboard on facades of houses to deter burglars from breaking into the house there too?

The economical and political situation in my home country is fast deteriorating with a horribly corrupt and power abusing Federal Government using patronage to stay in power and with practically all the key institutions like the judiciary, the police, the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Election Commission and many other government agencies compromised and not looking after the true interest of the general public. Many are thus seriously considering emigration while a huge chunk of the skilled and professional class have already being lost to our unfortunate country.

California and Florida are states with a climate similar to our country is also a popular destinations of emigrants. Like anyone else, we would like our family to be safe and protected. If you are from Florida or California, I hope you will tell us your truthful opinion of ADT in CA and ADT in FL and if you think ADT is a home security provider that you would recommend to emigrants by leaving a comment.

Marikina shoe museum and Imelda Marcos shoe collection

Photo of Imelda Marcos, the Iron Butterfly courtesy of Wikipedia

Have you ever been curious about the 2,720 pairs of shoes that Imelda Marcos left behind in Malacanang Palace when she and her husband were forced to flee the palace up the popular "People's Power" uprising. Curious about whether Kate spade shoes or shoes made by Michael Kors are included in her gargantuan shoe collection? If so, you should pay a visit to the Marakina Shoe Museum in the Philippines to find out.

Location map of Marikina Shoe Museum

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Among some few hundred pairs of her size 8 1/2 shoes on displayed at the Marikina Shoe Museum include one with gold trim, another studded with rhinestones and two pairs of knee-high boots. It is a good thing that the convenience of online shoe retailers wasn't available during those time she and her husband Ferdinand Marcos was in power or else there would be way more than just 2700 pairs of shoes abandoned by the Iron Butterfly.

The City of Marikina on Luzon Island, Philippines, is also know as the Shoe Capital of Philippines. At the Marikina shoe museum, you will not only get to view shoes worn by Imelda Marcos, you will also see shoes worn by dignitaries around the world.

What is special about Puerto Vallarta?

About Puerto Vallarta

Puerto is Spanish for Port, so Puerto Vallarta is obviously right beside the sea. Puerto Vallarta is thus Port Vallarta in English and in fact is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas (bahia is Spanish for bay). Puerto Vallarta is named after Ignacio Vallarta, a former governor of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is a highly popular tourist destination.

What is special about Puerto Vallarta?

How about food? Puerto Vallarta is Mexico's gastronomic center and living here are some of the best chef around serving great Mexican and international cuisine. If you are a food gourmet, the best time to visit Puerto Vallarta is during the 10 day annual International Gourmet Festival during which the world's best 20 guest chefs as well as the talented local chefs offer special tasting menus in 21 participating restaurants, cooking classes and wine tastings.

What else is special about Puerto Vallarta? Like some extreme sport? How about hanging yourself upside down and being whirled around to get your head spinning?

Photo of birdman of Puerto Vallarta is property of John Picken

Don't like dangerous sport? Puerto Vallerta is full of sculpture as you can see below:

Photo of sculpture is property of svonog

Photo of sculpture is property of wonderlane

Photo of man of fish is property of wonderlane

Photo of Puerto Vallarta angel is property of NetDiva

Along the beach at Puerto Vallarta you will also find beautiful sand sculpture like the one in the photo below:

Photo of birdman of is property of robinsonmay

Invest in Puerto Vallarta real estate?

Puerto Vallarta looks interesting enough for you to invest in Puerto Vallarta real estate? Then look for homes for sale in Puerto Vallarta.

Visit Puerto Vallarta

Or are you game for only Puerto Vallarta as a destination for your holidays? Then look for Real Estate for Rent in Puerto Vallarta

Carbon neutral private jet charter

Many some celebrities such as John Travolta have their own jet planes. Those celebrities and the rich who don't have their own planes may also go for Private Jet Charter. However, jet planes emit lots of green house gases which causes global warming.



It is increasingly clear that our world is experiencing global warming as shown by facts like melting of polar ice and receding snow lines in mountains like Mount Everest. In very recent time, for the first time in written history, one can sail through the Artic. What can be done about this?

Well, if they monied people can afford Private Jet Charter, they can definitely get a TerraPass which can help globe-trotting monied people reduce their carbon footprint at a fraction of what it cost them to enjoy the convenience and luxury of Private Flight. TerraPass is a social enterprise headquartered in San Francisco, California that provides carbon offsetting products to individuals and businesses. TerraPass has helped 1,080,269,026 lbs of CO2 (carbon dioxide). Let us hope more of the jet-setting celebrities and businessmen uses TerraPass

Snorkeling in Maui, Hawaii, USA

Coral Reefs - another world on Earth

The memories of my first snorkeling experience at Pulau Kapas, Terengganu, Malaysia is still fresh in my memories. It was a real introduction to another world on this amazingly diverse world of ours and if anyone mentions the possibility of snorkeling in an interesting location, I am all ears.

Snorkeling off a beach is one thing. Mention snorkeling in a volcanic crater, like for example, the Molokini Crater, I have 8 ears all pricked up (if you know what I mean). Crater?? That sounds like that hollow at the top of a big bad dangerous volcano.

Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii

Molokini is harmless inactive offshore crescent moon-shaped volcanic crater south of Ma‘alaea Bay, Maui, Hawaii. It attracts scuba diving and snorkeling enthusiasts like bees to honey. If you are interested in snorkeling in Molokini Crater, Pride of Maui specializes in organizing snorkeling cruises to the Molokini Crater.

Photo of reef fish at Molokini Crater is property of Adam Hertz

Adam Hertz is a cautious man and says he have to check that that (reef fishes) are what he saw at Molokini Crater. No fear Adam. I checked Wikipedia and it says "Coral reefs are home to a variety of tropical or reef fish, such as the colorful parrotfish, angelfish, damselfish and butterfly fish..." which means that the word reef fish can be applied to many fishes that inhabits a reef.

Turtle Town, Maui, Hawaii

If you try goggling Turtle Town, you will find it hard to pin-point an exact location as turtles are all Maui Island, and I suppose you can call many places Turtle Town. However, it seems there are a few spots where turtles tend to congregate, and if you want to get to these places, let Pride of Maui guide you to Maui Turtle Town where you can swim with the gentle and graceful Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles.

Photo of turtle in Turtle Town is property of Ewen Roberts

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However, here we are talking about ecotourism and you are not supposed to disturb these gentle creatures. Touching, chasing and riding the turtles are prohibited as they are a protected species. But just swim or snorkel around normally, and these curious creatures will likely approach you on their own initiatives.

Paros, Greece and ecotourism

Facts about Paros, Greece

Paros, a Greek island belonging to one of the Cyclades island group and a very popular tourism destination. There is a Municipality of Paros and this municipality is not a single spot but spread over numerous islets.

If you are a lover of beaches, Paros has plenty of them including Pounda, Naousa bay, Chrissí Aktí, Logaras, Parikía, Piso Livadi and Agía Irini. Windsurfers will also find Paros an ideal target for their visits as in some areas, there are constant strong winds.

But look at the beautiful natural scenery with beautiful flowers in the photo below (if only I can smell them):

Photo of Parikia, Paros in Greece is property of Ethan Lindsey

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Wonder if touring narrow paved streets, two stored white houses, old churches and windmills without damaging the environment plus experiencing the local cultural heritage while minimizing the negative aspects of tourism on the environment can be considered as ecotourism. If so, then Paros definitely can qualify as a destination for ecotourism.

Whatever your opinions are, you will need accommodation, and the most convenient and environmentally friendly way of searching for suitable accommodation is searching for them ahead of arrival online at websites like Paros hotels in Greece. I for one would not like to waste precious tourist time, energy and if I use motorized vehicle to go round hunting for accommodation, precious, increasingly expensive and rapidly depleting fossil fuel to hunt for them.

Stay healthy, wealthy for environment, ecotourism

Health, environment and ecotourism

According to Wikipedia on ecotourism, ecotourism or ecological tourism, is a form of tourism that caters to the ecologically and socially conscious individuals and focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet. Usually, ecotourism will involve traveling to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions.

Ecotourism sounds to me like you need to be fit and healthy to partake of it, and Wellness Wealth Success! claims to be able to help you achieve health. You can find out more about Wellness Wealth Success! by clicking on the second link.

Wealth, environment and ecotourism

Preserving the environment can be a costly affair, and maintaining an area for ecotourism do not come cheap either. Well, here Wellness Wealth Success! claims they can help too. Now if only they have an Environmental Policy!

Travel Technology for Ecotourism?

Here is an interesting website NEXTGEN Travel Distribution, a worldwide travel platform that connects suppliers (travel booking websites, travel agents, tour operators, car rental companies, airplane ticket booking websites, hotels, etc.?) with consumers (obviously various kind of travelers), all gratis (FOC or free of charge). NEXTGEN Travel Distribution also claims offering the most in-depth travel content in the world.

NEXTGEN Travel Distribution claims to have what they call Travel technology plus a private label booking engine. Now this is something I am very much interested to find out more about as perhaps I can have a private label booking engine for ecotourism. I tried to sign up as a partner so as to get that private label booking engine and see if it can do what I hope to do. That took me to a page that has the promising "Completely customizable" phrase, so the possibility is there. I have registered as a partner but now there are other things waiting for me to complete, so will update this post with a link to a new post on NEXTGEN Travel Distribution later (hopefully I don't forget).

Australia, a unique Island Continent

Australia is so isolated from the rest of the world that it is no surprise it has very unique flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. It also have an amazing huge reef - the world famous Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system,with about 3,000 reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometers. It is the only single structure of living organisms visible from outer space and supports a wide diversity of life. The Great Barrier Reef was granted the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

Australia has an association for ecotourism, the Ecotourism Association of Australia (EAA) and the Wildlife Tourism Australia (WTA).

Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia

Burleigh Heads is an suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. There are nature parks in Burleigh Heads such as the David Fleay Wildlife Park which have many native Australian animals living in habitates as close to their natural habitats as possible. Another one is the Mount Cougal Springbrook National Park featuring spectacular waterfalls and luxuriant rainforest,and if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the world's largest skink, the land mullet. Other parks in the area include the David Fleay Wildlife Park where you can see unusual native animals and the Burleigh Head National Park 81 km southeast of Brisbane.

Environmentally friendly way to get your accommodation is via the environmentally friendly Internet and book online at websites like Burleigh Heads Hotels and you need not burn up green house gas emitting fossil fuel and make worst our environmental problem of the century - global warming.

I understand that the above website have been revamped and a directory section has been added which makes it far easier to drill down and search for heavily discounted last minute accommodation in Australia. I checked and found last minute accommodation search. Perhaps this is what they were referring to.

Coolangatta, Queensland

Photo of Coolangatta and TweedHeads from the air is property of Tim

Coolangatta is a border town between Queensland and New South Wales. Its economy is based mainly on a thriving fishing industry, seafood restaurants, holiday clubs and retirement place for both states. Ecotourism can be found in Coolangatta's hinterland. There are company offering sustainable eco-tour on bicycles in the Tweeds Heads/Coolangatta region, promising a fantastic ride with magnificent scenery, taste bush tucker produce and subtropical fruits, watch native wildlife, see fresh coffee grown and roasted sample native macadamia nut plantations and learn about early settlers.

This online accommodation booking website Coolangatta Hotels claims to be able to offer last minute heavily discounted accommodation.

Manly, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Manly is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia located about 16 kilometer east of Brisbane, capital of Queensland. It lies to the west of Moreton Bay.

Manly Cabbage Tree Bay had been declared a "No Take" (meaning take nothing except photographs, no fishing, destroying of marine life, even collect alive or dead organism including empty shells) Aquatic Reserve on 31st March 2002 to help conserve the Bays natural aquatic habitats, processes and unique biodiversity for sustainable use and future generation's enjoyment. The Manly Cabbage Tree Bay Eco-Sculpture Walk has been organized to give visitors to the area a view into Cabbage Tree Bay's unique animals, plants, marine life, history and attractions. You can get to Manly Cabbage Tree Bay Eco-Sculpture Walk by walking along Marine Parade from either Manly or Shelly Beach. The Manly Council have arranged for brochures and further information for visitors from the Manly Visitor Information Center or the Manly Environment Center.

Book your accommodation online at Manly Hotels

Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Photo of sunset over Byron Bay is property of Aidan Beanland

Byron Bay is a town in New South Wales and is the eastern most point of the Australian mainland, 140 kilometer south of Brisbane and 600 kilometer north of Sydney and. Byron Bay is also well known for its wildlife and whale watching. You can take day mountain biking tours to the finest and most spectacular places various World Heritage Parks and Rainforests of Byron Bay's hinterland and enjoy panoramic views from rocky volcanic plateaus, visit deep gorges, lakes, waterfalls, and lush sub-tropical rainforests full of wildlife. Learn about various animal species such as fruit doves, small marsupials, koalas and tree frogs.

Get last minute deeply discounted accommodation from Byron Bay Hotels.

Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur and ecotourism

Ecotourism and Nicaragua

Nicaragua has 3 main region known for ecotoursm - the Pacific region, Central region and Atlantic region. Nicaragua has 78 protected areas representing 20 percent of it landmass, 7% of the world's biodiversity, home to Bosawas in Northern Nicaragua with the largest rainforest north of the Amazon, the largest lake in Central America, Lake Cocibolca with tourists flocking to Ometepe, a large volcanic island formed by two volcanoes in Lake Cocibolca, Charco Verde Nature Reserve which boasts of great diversity of flora and fauna, has some 700 species of birds, more species of trees, birds, and insects than all of Europe put together plus many areas with claims to unspoiled natural beauty.

In addition to these, Nicaragua has one of the lowest crime rate in Latin America and what may consider an additional attraction, still the least visited country in the Central America.

Popular cities in Nicaragua

While the colonial city of Granada was rated the most popular city for tourist by the Ministry of Tourism of Nicaragua, other popular cities include León, Masaya, Rivas and San Juan del Sur.

San Juan del Sur

San Juan del Sur sunset and fishing boats photo uploaded to Flickr by Bruce Thomson

San Juan del Sur, a fishing town, is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in south-west Nicaragua at a crescent-shaped bay. It is only 1 1/2 hours from the colonial city of Granada. San Juan del Sur popular with tourists as it has many beautiful beaches which are great for deep sea fishing, surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling. For those who do not like crowds, this is paradise.

If you prefer land based activities, you can go hiking to the volcanic hilltops which on a clear day, you can get spectacular views all the way to Costa Rica. Or just enjoy the San Juan del Sur’s carefree Pacific lifestyle, nap in a hammock, woof down sea food fresh from the fishing boats, watch sea turtles waddle lay eggs at nearby La Flor beach in late autumn.

Accommodation in Nicaragua, San Jan del Sur

Because of low tourist traffic, you can enjoy bargain vacation at San Juan del Sur. For accommodation, there are many comfortable Nicaragua Hotels and San Juan del Sur Hotel. For more information on its location, surf ove to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. May I wish you an enjoyable vacation at San Juan del Sur.

Ecotourism and Investment in New Zealand

New Zealand is really a unique place on earth. There is nothing similar to what you can find in New Zealand. Think kiwi (small flightless birds), kiwifruit (fruit of Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids. Actually, it is native to southern China but made popular and commercialised by New Zealanders), Maori and its culture (first thing that comes to my mind is a warlike warrior with tongue sticking out), all kinds of amazing birds and a unique flora. There are no wild animals and no snakes that attack people in New Zealand.

Admittedly, much of its bush cover, lowland forests and wetlands have been destroyed, but there are still have many unspoiled, unsettled, and even some unmapped areas of wild country ideal for ecotourism. For activities, you can go for whale watching in Kaikoura, go bush walking in the Waitakere ranges, try sea-kayaking at Abel Tasman National Park, visit the albatross colony and penguins at Taiaroa Head on Otago Peninsula, look at dolphins swimming playfully at Bay of Islands, walk on a deserted beach, visit the Waipoua Forest walk in Northland, go seal-watching at Kaikoura, go diving to see the Rainbow Warrior wreck in Matauri Bay, explore coastal wildlife and rain forest of the Catlins area, observe penguins at Nugget Point, visit the Fiordland National Park, see rare and endangered birds in Auckland and seals and dolphins in Westland. There is endless things you can do in New Zealand.

Tourism is a major foreign revenue earner for New Zealand. You may want to consider looking for property for sale in New Zealand to take advantage of this. A good alternative to consider is Birkenhead property, which is located located on the north shore of the Waitemata Harbour just four kilometres northwest of the Auckland city center.

Another promising area is property Nelson. Nelson is practically at the center of New Zealand at the southern shore of Tasman Bay and the northern tip of the South Island.

Many people want to holiday in New Zealand for extended periods or even migrate there permanently. My former colleague migrated there immediately after his retirement with his entire family. Why is New Zealand so popular? Well, it has a pleasant temperate climate, unspoilt diverse scenery, great surfing and skiing opportunities plus a relatively low cost of living.

Are you tempted? I am.

Ecotourism in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country and has the largest rain forests in Central America. Located just 11 degrees north of the Equator, it has a tropical climate. Its series of volcanoes and mountain ranges form a divide between the wet Atlantic Ocean and the dry Pacific Ocean and Nicaragua is also wedged between Northern America and Southern America. Because of these factors, the habitats are diverse, ranging from savanna-like plains to dry tropical forest, sub-montane tropical forest to rain forest or cloud forest. In terms of aquatic habitats, there is also great variety on both Caribbean and Pacific Coasts, volcanic crater lakes, and the largest bodies of fresh water in Latin America. It is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world and represent an ideal destination for nature lovers. New species being discovered almost everyday.

If you are not that adventurous as to track deep into the forest, there is always Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. It is located on the southern shores of Lake Managua (Lake Xolotlán). The topography is varied, it has naturally fertile soils with abundant rain and water sources supporting a great variety of flora, many species trees, some of which you cannot find in any other part of the world. Among them are royal palms, chilamates, ceibos, genizaros, pinuelas, pochotes, tiguilotes and Nicaragua's national tree, the madroño. There is also the Tiscapa Lagoon Natural Reserve.

Because of past instability, revolution, and civil wars, much of the natural forest remained untouched (barring logging), making it a heaven for ecotourism. The infrastructure for ecotourism, unfortunately, is also poorly developed. This may be a curse as well as a blessing, for you can invest in Nicaragua for a song. Nicaragua Real Estate described it well. They compare buying properties in Nicaragua to buying beach front properties with stunning ocean views in Malibu or San Diego 100 years ago at amazingly low prices. You may not get such opportunities in the future.

Buying properties is not like buying McDonald beefburgers. It is way more complicated, involving financing and legal issues. Nicaragua Property has devoted a whole page on that at Buying Nicaragua Properties: Legal Process.

If you are not into investing, but only going to Nicaragua for a vacation, Nicaragua vacation Rentals can help you find your dream holiday accommodation.

Enironmentally friendly accommodation

The majority of visitors to this site are from the United States of America, and for the sake of the environment, if you plan to vacation in another place, it would be preferable to chose a place near to your home so as to shorten the journey. It is a good thing that this worldwide online accommodation booking site list all the 51 states of America. Not only that, they have special categories of hotels such as eco green lodging which is most relevant to what this site is all about.

In addition to category of hotels that have adopted environmentally friendly practices, they also have other special categories such as spa resorts, yoga retreats and a few others, even a haunted hotels!!! category for the brave ones.

Unfortunately for our one and only Spaceship Earth which still have no lifeboat, either hotels in the United States have not taken to environmentally friendly practices on a wide scale, or for reasons of their own, are not listing their environmentally friendly hotels with this site because I checked quite a number of America's state, but all those I checked had no environmentally friendly hotel listed. I can't check all the 51 states, so if you happened to be staying in one of those states listed and you check your state, you may just find something. Further, things are not static, and I am sure operators of this site are hard at work, and hopefully before 31st December, 2008, you will find such American eco green lodgings listed in the site without any problem.

Why before 31st December, 2008, you may ask. Simple. With the Special Offer Code SPC7258603, you can get $10.00 off for reservations over $100. But this special offer is not forever. You have until 31st December, 2008 to make use of it.

Ecotourism in Sarasota County, Florida, United States of America

Sarasota County is in Florida, in the south eastern part of United States with its administration seat in Sarasota. It has 2 state parks and have very good beaches. It also has many barrier islands, one of which, Siesta Key
, have one of the best beaches in the United States. More about that later. This a haven for diverse wildlife including ducks, warblers, hawks, ospreys, meadowlarks, herons, ibis, wading birds, waterfowl, migrating birds, wild turkeys, snow geese, bald eagles, hummingbirds, falcons, etc. Dolphins and manatees are aplenty in Sarasota. There used to be plenty of turtles laying eggs on its beaches, but unfortunately the are now few and far in between. But there are conservation efforts going on.

It has Florida's biggest and oldest state parks - the Myakka River State Park. It has excellent hiking trails. The Myakka River, fondly called "Florida Wild and Scenic Myakka River", flows through its woodlands, wetlands and prairies. It is good for wildlife observation and you can go hiking and fishing, among other eco friendly activities. There are canopy walkway for you to take to the treetops and view foliage, twigs, birds, caterpillars, and insects at the tree tops, plus get spectacular views of the entire park.

The other state park is the Oscar Scherer State Park. Its habitats include pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods and the hardwood hammock plus varieties of other plants like wild grape, blueberry, cabbage palm, persimmon, prickly pear cactuses, coontie, wax myrtle, mangrove trees and giant leather ferns. You can see rabbits, river otters, bobcats, foxes, indigo snakes, alligators, gopher tortoises and gopher frogs in the state park.

A walk on its beaches can be considered an ecotour for you are likely to find prehistoric sharks' teeth and marine fossils washed up to its beaches from the sparkling ocean water.

If you are a bird watcher, the place to go is the Celery Fields, a low, marshy area drained to grow celery. Its deep lakes attracts many bird species. It is also a site of archaeological findings.

If fine beaches is what you are looking for, head for Siesta Key, a 8 mile long barrier island off Sarasota on Florida’s West Gulf Coast, famous for its white 99% quartz sand beaches. The white sand is very reflective and deflects off the heat from the sunlight so that the beach feels cool and comfortable. The most famous and popular is Siesta Key Beach where the sand is finest. It is one of the best beaches in the United States and have plenty of awards to prove it. However, if privacy and being away from the crowd is what you value, there is Crescent Beach and Turtle beach.

Siesta Key also has lush foliage, mature trees and tropical flowering shrubs, wild sea oats. Its mangroves is a habitat for diverse native birds. In its sparkling green ocean water are dolphins, manatees and other aquatic wildlife.

If you plan to go to Siesta Key, you can do it on line at accommodations, where you can find a variety of choices, including hotels, motels, apartments, condominiums, beach resorts and houses, cottages and suites.

Siesta Key, Florida, United States of America

Siesta Key has the word "Key" in it, but don't get confused and think that it is located in Florida Keys. Siesta Key is actually a barrier island off of the central western coast of Florida situated between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, just below Tampa. A portion of it lies within the city boundary of Sarasota. It is famous for its beaches, especially Siesta Beach, a long stretch of 99% pure white quartz sand with a texture like refined sugar, and which never feels hot. The beach has won for itself numerous awards including being named the “Best Overall” in the "1987 International Sand Contest", the “Best Sand Beach in America 2004” by the Travel Channel, rated one of the best for walking by National Geographic Traveler, ranked third in the Top 10 US beaches in a poll by USA Today.com reader poll ranked and voted Number 3 in its list of Top 10 U.S. beaches Best Beach 2000 by Florida Living Magazine.

There are other beaches like Crescent Beach and Turtle beach, but are not as popular as Siesta Beach. There are lifeguards on Siesta Beach all year round, but Turtle Beach has no lifeguard. However, you can be sure of getting a parking space on Turtle Beach. They all can be referred to as a crystal beaches because the beaches consists of quartz crystals. There are people who believe that quartz crystals have physical, mental or emotional healing properties, but these are not backed by any scientific studies.

Siesta Key is covered by lush tropical foliage and inhabited by wild rabbits, herons, wild parrots and other native birds, gulls, terns, plovers, pelicans, egrets, herons, ibis, spoonbills, storks, cranes, manatees, dolphins and an estimated 1000 species of fish in the Gulf, bays, lakes, rivers and streams.

If you plan to visit Siesta Key, various kinds of accommodations are available, including hotels, motels, apartments, condominiums, beach resorts and houses, cottages and suites.

Fort Myers Beach, Kissimmee and Panama City Beach for ecotourism

Florida is a lush region with undiscovered areas that will attract environmentally responsible travelers who may come here for activities related to nature like fishing, hiking, biking, hunting, bird watching, photography, boating, canoeing, kayaking and swimming. There may be some particular regions that may interest them:

Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee, Florida, has lots of wetlands which is very important for the environment, regulating the river flow, filtering pollutants, is a spawning zones for many species of fish and provide a habitat for a great diversity of life forms. It has also been credited to help prevent floods, absorbing a great volume of flood water. However, the local people took up airboating and retired folk from colder climates came with motorboats, upsetting the balance of nature in the Kissimmee watershed. In 1981, the Resources Rivers Act directed the district and others to provide recreation in "an environmentally acceptable manner" and later a project to restore the Kissimmee River and the associated wetlands was initiated.

Pay a visit to Kissimee to see how they restored the Kissimmee River and the wetlands associated with it. There is also a nearby Lake Kissimmee State Park for nature lovers. Kissimmee is also near to many famous themed park, especially the Walt Disney world Resort which is withih a short drive.These themed parks are enjoyed both by children as well as adult. This means you can kill more than 2 birds with one stone.

For your accommodation needs, visit Kissimmee vacation rentals.

Panama City Beach

Panama City Beach surrounded by a lush region known with well known great biodiversity one of the six most important places for diverse and rare species in the US. Panama City Beach, located in the Panhandle has an assemblage of plants and animals that occurs nowhere else on earth. There are a number of places which will be of interest to nature lovers:

St. Andrews State Recreation Area

This park has rolling, white sand dunes separated by either pinewoods or marshes. There are many dunes covered with sea oats while dunes farther inland are populated with sand pines, scrub oaks, rosemary and other hardy plants that help prevent soil erosion. There are freshwater and saltwater marshes teeming with wildlife and birds. The Button Bush Marsh is frequented by a variety of birds including herons and ibis.

There are many trails for hikers. A popular trial for hikers is the Blue Heron Trail take will take you through various plant communities. There is also the Gator Lake Trail good for spotting alligators and a variety of waterfowl, wading birds and other small animals.

Shell Island

Shell Island is a 700 acre pristine and undeveloped barrier island providing a great spot for sun bathing and for collecting shells. There is an interesting Water Planet's "Swim with the dolphins" program on Shell Island. Swimming is therapeutic and it is said to be able to cure mild to moderate depression. You can snorkel on the shoals where the grass beds are. The seagrass beds are where many marine life starts.

You can find all kinds of lifeforms there including the horseshoe crab (which is actually not a crab but an Arthropod) and is one of the oldest animals on earth. Others include the Blue Crab which is the most common edible crab in Florida, the Stone Crab which is reddish brown and the largest of the mud crabs (harvesting of this crab is regulated), the Ghost Crab (so called because it is difficult to see due to its sandy color and also because it is active at night), the Horse Conk, the largest conch in the world, the Sand Dollar (Phylum Echinodermata) which consist of mainly a hard shell and very little live tissue, The Starfish (Asteroidea) with 5 points and neither head nor tail, right nor left and can move in any direction without turning, the Sea Hare(Aplysia brasiliana) which looks like the garden slugs. the jellyfish and the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) one of the larges birds whose span of the wings can reach 2 1/2 m with a dark brown body, a massive nozzle and a throat in the shape of pocket and the Armadillo.

Like to visit Panama City Beach? Get your accommodation from Panama City beach vacation homes

Fort Myers Beach

Sea turtles come to Fort Myers beach to nest from May 1 to October 31 which have been officially declared as the Sea Turtle Nesting Season. And for this season, these are the conditions set via public notice regarding beach furniture. Summary: "All beach furniture and equipment must be removed by 9pm every evening to behind the permanent dune line or 200 feet from the mean high tide line whichever applicable. shall not be set out in the morning before 8:00 AM or before completion of daily monitoring for turtle nesting activity by Turtle Time, a non-profit organization authorized by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to conduct daily sea turtle nesting monitoring." So Fort Myers Beach is one area you can observe turtle laying eggs, something that is getting rare.

There is the Lovers Key State Park is especially known for its gulf and estuary bird life.

There is also the 12 mile long Sanibel island, known for ecotourism, whose 6,000 residents fiercely protect its natural beauty. You can find bike paths but no chain restaurants or structures taller than the tallest palm tree. There is the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, with more than 5,200 acres of mangrove ecology ands home to manatees, alligators, otters and other creatures.

North Captiva Island is known for its known for its dazzling white sand beaches, lush tropical vegetation and shelling with thousands of perfectly shaped shells along the shoreline. There are no cars on North Captiva Island. Other activities available on North Captiva include boating, fishing, nature walks, birdwatching, biking and diving. Note that nude bathing is popular on one side of the island and you may want to avoid that part if you have children with you.

The seven-mile-long Estero Island is a protected island with abundant population of dolphin, manatees, and other marine life. Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area is a popular sandbar for birds making rest stops from a major flyway. For a boardwalk trail into mangrove and gumbo limbo forest, go to Matanzas Pass Preserve. At the northern tip of Estero Island is Bowditch Point Regional Preserve whose beach is a shelter for gulls, terns, sandpipers, and many number of other shorebirds.

For a diversion from nature, you may want to pay a visit to the well preserved winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford in Fort Myers itself along along the Caloosahatchee River. Edison had a love exotic plants. The prolific inventor had a huge botanical garden, and brought in plants from all over the world. There is now a 400-foot wide Banyan tree from Calcutta, India. in his garden.

Book your accommodation online from Fort Myers Beach vacation rentals.

Ecotourism and Eco tourism, which one is better.

Tried to find some article which discuss which is better (more widely used term) but couldn't find any. So did the next best thing, googled "ecotourism", "eco tourism" and "eco-tourism". Result of the "test":

Results 1 - 10 of about 5,310,000 for ecotourism
Results 1 - 10 of about 2,360,000 for eco tourism
Results 1 - 10 of about 5,290,000

The blog title stay as "Enviroment and Ecotourism".