Ruba Travel Blog

It’s that saccharine-ly, sicken-ly sweet time of year again, people. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is upon us. Before you choke on your own Hallmark card, take note – this Valentine’s Day is the same weekend as President’s Day, so many of us have the following Monday off! This is a good thing and a bad thing. For those of us who want to catch a romantic getaway (if coupled up) or a fun friends getaway to spite all those happy couples – success! Enjoy that extra day with an added day of skiing, tanning, or lazing about. For those unlucky amongst us who have Valentine’s with high standards, it just means there’s more pressure to create the ultimate day of love, without the excuse of work the next day to get us off the hook. Never fear, we at Ruba have gathered the greatest Valentine’s Day 2010 destinations. So grab your teddy bear, roses, and chocolates and hit one of these spots for a weekend of romance or fun!

Vancouver, Canada

We’ve blogged about this top 2010 destination before, but it bears repeating. With the Winter Olympics kicking off the Friday before Valentine’s Day, this is a once in a lifetime Valentines destination.  You can get in some ski time, a romantic dinner in the city, and then snuggle up with your love to watch your country’s team go for the gold!  No date this year? No worries! The Olympic city will be full of sports fans from around the world for you to celebrate with!

Belize

Photo courtesy of flickr: andolent

Perhaps you and your cuddle bunny need to thaw out from the winter chill. If that’s the case, try Belize where you two can stroll white sand beaches hand in hand, learn to SCUBA dive together, and share a laugh over drinks at a beach bar. You’ll return to the states feeling refreshed and sporting a tan that will make all your friends jealous.

New York City

Just picture it: spending the day catching the sights, a delicious dinner a world-renowned restaurant, followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park before returning to your world class hotel for champagne from room service while you enjoy the view. There’s a reason why New York is a popular romantic destination, especially for Valentine’s Day.

Las Vegas

This is a great option for people with Valentine’s and also for people who just want to get away with friends for the weekend. There’s plenty of first class spas for pampering for couples as well as some of the world’s greatest restaurants and night clubs. Best of all, with new hotels sprouting up almost daily in this city, room rates are through the floor. The one downside of visiting Vegas this time of year? Most of the hotel pools are closed for the season. But we’re sure you’ll find other ways to occupy yourself!

By Ruba Guest Blogger Roger Elmore

Quick Workout Tips for Travelers

In my days and nights managing hotels, I saw a lot of different types of
exercises that people do to try and stay in shape while they are on the
road. Since we are just coming off of New Year’s I know there are a lot
of people that have losing weight or staying shape in mind. You might
think that just because you are away from home that you can’t get a good
workout in, fortunately you can. Here are some of the great ideas that I
have seen and put into practice myself:

1. Walking – A lot of people like to see the hotel anyway. If the
   hotel is large enough, then you have plenty of room to walk and take laps
   around the various portions of the hotel. If you get bored and the
   weather is good, well you can take your walk outside as well and take in
   the local scenery. Of course, you can also jog or walk outside if you
   make sure to bring the right running shoes and clothes. In an absolute
   pinch when you are very tight on space, you can simply jog in place.
2. Stairs – One of my personal favorites mostly because it ALWAYS
   works for getting me tired is to go up and down several flights of stairs.
   Who needs a stair-stepper machine when you have the real thing. I’ll
   guarantee that after you walk up 10 flights of stairs or so, you’ll feel
   it working (and you will probably not like me very much for recommending
   the stairs).
3. Isometrics – There are some great isometric exercises that you
   can do right in the comfort of your hotel room (assume 3 sets with 10
   repetitions per set). You can do calf raises by simply going up on your
   toes, count to 10, and then come down and just before your heels hit the
   ground go back up. You can also do squats by standing with your back to a
   wall and bending down until your knees are fully bent, hold that while you
   count to 10, and then raise up going back down as soon as you reach a
   fully upright position.
4. Abdominal Exercises – First we have to start with sit-ups, no
   matter how you prefer to perform a sit-up, you can definitely do them in
   your hotel room. You can vary the complexity of the situp by changing the
   elevation of your feet (put your feet up on the chair or the bed).
   Another great abdominal workout comes from doing leg raises. You lay flat
   on the ground and leaving your legs straight you raise them six inches off
   of the floor, hold them in the air counting to 10, and then repeat the leg
   lift.
5. Tricep Exercises – One of my favorite exercises for triceps are
   dips (also one of my favorite foods to eat when enjoying a bag of chips).
   You need 2 chairs that will hold your weight and you place your hands
   behind you while you sit on one chair with your feet resting on the other
   chair and then you lower yourself off of the chair you are sitting on and
   then back up starting down again as soon as you get back up. To add
   complexity to the dip, hold the down position while you count to 10 before
   rising back up.
6. Bicep Exercises – This is actually a pretty difficult one to do
   on the road but depending upon your fitness you will definitely have a
   couple of options available to you. The exercise is a bicep curl where
   you hold your arm out straight in front of you and then bend it at the
   elbow as you bring your hand toward your nose. You can do this holding a
   bottle of water in your hand or you can do this with a small suitcase
   depending upon your level of fitness (and how light or heavy you
   pack).
7. Chest Exercises – The easiest exercise to do that will workout
   your chest is push-ups. You lay down on the floor on your stomach and
   then put your hands to each side and push yourself off of the floor
   keeping your legs straight as soon as you reach the top you go back down
   and repeat the push-up. To vary the portion of your chest that you are
   working out you can again change the elevation of your feet by putting
   them up on a chair or up on the bed. This will allow you to work on a
   variety of upper and lower chest muscles.

If you manage to get several of the exercises above in on any given day,
chances are very good that you will be able to maintain your health and
fitness routine even when you are on the road.

Roger Elmore is a former hotel manager who now writes articles for Hospitality Management
Schools

Photo courtesy of Johan Pretorius

The New Year is upon us and the Ruba team is abuzz with our travel plans for 2010. Here’s to a quick economic and travel industry recovery that makes it possible for all you travel lovers to check that next dream destination off your list this year! Need some inspiration? Consider timing your vacation this year to coincide with one of these once in a lifetime events!

1. Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany

Photo Courtesy of flickr: Rita Willaert

For those of you out of the loop, a passion play is a dramatic depiction of the trial, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ, performed during Christian Lent. These plays are often performed at Catholic schools throughout the world, but the most famous incarnation of the Passion Play is the one hosted only once every ten years in the tiny German town of Oberammergau. Half the town’s residents (about 2,000 people) will participate in this year’s play, which is directed by Christian Stückl of Munich’s Volkstheater. Visitors from around the world are invited to the production which will run from mid-May through October. With another chance to see this production not slated until 2020, you’d better make it happen this year! Wondering how to start planning your trip? Ruba has a variety of Oberammergau Passion Play tours for you to choose from!

2. Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia

Photo courtesy of Bobak Ha'Eri

Ah, the Olympics. The time when people from all the countries across the world lay aside their differences and duke it out for Gold Medals in some good, clean, old-fashioned sportsmanship and fun. Whether you’re a Winter Olympics fan or a Summer Olympics fan, this year’s competition in Vancouver, Canada is sure to please. The world’s finest athletes will descend upon this pristine destination for some of the most heart skiing, luge-ing, and skating we’ve ever seen. And most likely a rousing snowball fight or two. So grab your beanie and snow goggles and get ready to start cheering – the festivities kick of February 12, 2010!

3. FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Photo courtesy of flickr: CLF

The FIFA World Cup, hosted every four years, comes to South Africa this year and lasts from June 11 through July 11, with matches held at 10 venues through the country: Johannesburg (2 stadiums), Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwana, Nelspruit, and Rustenburg. All 32 teams which will participate in the finals matches have already qualified, including the United States, France, England, Germany, Brazil, defending champ Italy, and many more! If this is your first trip to Africa, check out Ruba’s Featured Safaris and Tours to the country.

4. Total Solar Eclipse

Photo courtesy of flickr: luc.viatour

All you star gazers get ready for a real treat – this year on July 11th (yes, the last day of the World Cup! ) there will be a total solar eclipse visible in the southern Pacific Ocean, Easter Island, and southern Chile & Argentina.

Happy Travels in 2010, all!

Where are you going to ring in the New Year 2010? We at Ruba know where we’d like to celebrate! Check out our top picks:

1. Prague

Photo courtesy of Flickr: fmorgen

One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Prague, goes all out at New Years with fireworks displays unlike any you’ve ever seen. Whether you’re in the Old Town Square or on the hill by Prague Castle, the view is spectacular. And the city is known for having some of the best nightlife in all of Europe.

2. Sydney

Photo courtesy of flickr: Christopher Chan

Be one of the first to celebrate the New Year by heading Down Under for Sydney’s festivities! Fireworks at midnight are followed by all night revelry. And it’s summer there,  so enjoy a break from wintry weather if you’re from a Northern climate!

3. Las Vegas

Photo courtesy of flickr: http2007

What better place to party than America’s Playground? The Strip shuts down to traffic as the parties spill out of casinos and into the street for the midnight fireworks display followed by many more hours of gambling and partying. Or join the block party downtown at the Fremont Experience for a more mellow experience complete with cover bands and midnight confetti showers.

4. Whistler, BC

Photo courtesy of flickr: Stuck in Customs

This is a great New Year’s Eve destination any year, but it’s particularly great this year as the Vancouver Winter Olympics are about to kick off in February! Grab a pint, hit the slopes, and cuddle by the fire with your favorite snow bunny for a New Year’s well spent!

5. New York City

Photo courtesy of flickr: Kenya Allmond

How could any great New Year’s Eve destinations list be complete without New York City? Standing in the crowds of people in Times Square watching the ball drop is without a doubt the ultimate New Year’s Eve experience.