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Educational trips are a great way to see new places and learn in new environments. School trips can be an essential part of the educational experience. If you sing in a choir, or are part of a school band or orchestra, there are some amazing music based trips that could send you almost anywhere.

Education Through Music
Whilst sports based or activity based school trips are quite a normal thing, trips based around a musical tour are rather new. If you are part of a school or college band, choir or orchestra, there are trips available that could see you perform in live venues whilst also learning and exploring the local musical history and culture. Depending on your musical style and your destination, you could be performing in regal churches or in lively music festivals. Wherever you choose, you will build your confidence as you get real practice in front of a genuine audience. Take your school band on a real music tour and learn as you perform.

Why Not Try New Orleans?
Explore the Cajun culture in charismatic New Orleans. Choirs will find themselves singing in beautiful churches or overlooking the banks of the Mississippi, whilst school bands could end up playing at the Music Legends Park in the famous French Quarter. When you are not performing take a New Orleans Ghost Tour in "America's Most Haunted City" and take the Roots Of Jazz tour to learn about the masters who paved the way.

What About A Trip To France?
Stay in Paris and explore one of the world's culture and fashion capitals. Paris has a number of amazing parks with auditoriums for choir and orchestral performances and its churches are some of the most famed in the world. Arrange for your school to sing in beautiful historic surroundings such as Notre Dame or La Madeleine. For a slightly different musical education experience, you can even join the musical performers at Disneyland Paris for the day.

Prague Might Be Just Perfect
For orchestras in particular, Prague might have the most spectacular location you could find. Home to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, stunning Dvorrk Hall is about the grandest venue you will ever find. Larger choirs or school orchestras would be able to put on a real once in a lifetime performance in a space of this magnitude. If your designs are not quite so grand, Prague is home to many more amazing venues and halls for performances of all kinds.

Educate And Entertain
If your students or kids are excelling at music it is a wonderful talent to be able to encourage. Educational school trips to somewhere exciting with the added bonus of putting on proper performances in front of real crowds could be an amazing opportunity for growth. Getting to learn the theory and the history of music is great, but really it is in the actual playing, singing and creating that people lose themselves. By combining a real musical tour with stops at museums and places of historical interest, you get both the fun and the facts.

AUTHOR BIO
Rob Gibson writes for a number of blogs on educational travel, as well as both online and print travel magazines. To get more information on educational school trips visit this page regularly for more updates.

Summer holidays need not always involve a beach. Why not try something a little more adventurous and head inland for a safari, to see some of the world's biggest, most beautiful mammals in their natural habitat? This article outlines some of the options for a great safari.

What Exactly Is A Safari?

The word 'safari' was adopted from the Swahili word for journey. Many people envisage a trip to eastern Africa when they imagine a safari and often they travel to a Swahili-speaking country; Kenya or Tanzania, for example. It is a generally an overland journey and could be in a car or on foot. The assumption in modern English is the aim of seeing big game.

For a truly authentic journey, why not take African safari holidays off the beaten track? Uganda, Botswana or Malawi all have spectacular scenery and wildlife, but a less developed tourist industry. Camping might still involve canvas, but make no mistake, the current demand for luxury accommodation means tents may well have real beds and en-suite bathrooms.

Choose Your Destination Carefully.

Taking the example of Malawi as an up and coming destination for African safari holidays, what does the country have that more established destinations do not? It is called "the warm heart of Africa" for more than just its physical location; the people are friendly and very welcoming and want to show you their country.

Mount Mulanje is the highest mountain in central Africa. Lake Malawi is known as the "Lake of Stars," or the "Calendar Lake," because it is 365 miles long at its longest point and 52 miles wide at its widest. The Lake is home to hundreds of species of cichlid fish, many of which are only found in Malawi. Snorkelling or diving is a must during a stay at the lake, although advice should be sought on location if you are travelling independently, because it is also home to large populations of hippos and crocodiles.

And What About The Big Game?

Malawi's Liwonde National Park is home to herds of elephants that can often be seen playing in the Shire River. A boat safari is a great way to see some of the many species of bird, as well as getting very close to the hippos!

Poaching put an end to Liwonde's lion prides, but a conservation project sees the park home to a very small number of black rhinos, now a critically endangered species. For a better chance of seeing all the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) consider including some time in Luangwa National Park, in neighbouring Zambia.

The beauty of a safari is that there are few guarantees. The animals are wild, not accustomed to seeing people. The possibility of coming across them in their natural environment beats seeing any of them in a zoo. The romanticism of being at one with nature, a tiny being in the vastness of the wilderness, is unmatchable and must be one of the best reasons for leaving the beach behind and going on safari.

AUTHOR BIO:

Alice Aires is a regular contributor on various travel-related topics for a range of websites and blogs. She recently discovered Malawi when she took her family on the first of many African safari holidays.

An organised sports tour can be a highlight for any tourist but don't forget to see the world's best landmarks.

Playing Sport Overseas
If you're a keen amateur sportsman then it can be a true test of your ability to go on tour and put your talents up against your counterparts from overseas. Whether you're into rugby, football, cricket, or any other team sport, it's worth seeking out a trip for your club.

The level of sport can vary tremendously all across the world so from a purely sporting point of view, it's great to test your ability against players from overseas but there are other benefits too. On a sports tour, you can look forward to a great social life for the period of the trip and you can guarantee making some new friends along the way.

Watching Sport Abroad
Whether you're a keen sporting enthusiast or just somebody who is passionate about their favourite game, there is a great thrill in watching an event while on a professionally organised tour. Over the next two years there are some intriguing competitions in prospect including the 2013 British and Irish Lions rugby visit to Australia, while cricket sees back to back Ashes series in England and Australia.

You can of course organise your own trip but if you take a package tour then you can guarantee seats for as many games as you want to witness. The best tours also employ notable former players as your guides so you can get a real insight into the participants' way of thinking.

Once again, you can expect some great social events along with some top local sightseeing and that's why many travellers view a sporting tour as their true trip of a lifetime.

Seeing the sights
If you are lucky enough to be able to travel on a tour of this kind then sport is obviously going to be the main focus for everyone in the party. The trip pivots around sporting events but there is plenty of time to see some of the world's best tourist sites too.

Take those rugby and cricket tours to Australia as an example. Naturally you'll want to see the Lions in action or the English cricket team battling for the Ashes but suddenly you have a glorious opportunity to see some of the greatest tourist destinations in the world.

Both events take in Sydney where you can see the distinctive Opera House and Harbour Bridge while other cities such as Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth have their own unique attractions.
Australia is a good example of a sports tour that has added tourist benefits but the same principle applies no matter where you are in the world.

If you're taking part in a cricket or rugby tour, either as a player or a spectator then naturally sport is going to be your main focus. It will be a truly memorable adventure from this perspective but remember to take the opportunity to experience all that the individual country has to offer.

AUTHOR BIO
Alice Aires is a sport and travel journalist who has covered every British Lions rugby tour in the last thirty years. She combines both of his passions and her published work can be found on many websites all across the internet.

When you're thinking about choosing your next holiday, why not consider a boating holiday? Hiring your own boat is a great way to explore a region by following the canals and waterways within it. Read on to find out more about the benefits.

Why Boating?

It's a nice slow pace of life, other people you will meet on the river are friendly and helpful and you get a unique view of the country you are exploring. There are opportunities for fishing, cycling, sightseeing, plus history, culture and eating out in towns and villages along the way.

You decide where you go and when   you've got your very own accommodation with you so you don't need to worry about checking-out times or booking ahead. You can stop by a sunny river bank and spend a whole day chilling out or you can keep cruising into the evening.

You will enjoy the fresh air and countryside, but many rivers go through larger towns and cities too so you can even plan a stop there for a bit of urban exploration too.

It's Easier Than You Think!

It's simple to learn the basics of boating and it's not complex or dangerous   most vehicles you can hire only go at a few kilometres per hour and are they are usually steered with a wheel in a similar way to a car. You don't need a license and it doesn't even matter if you've never set foot on a boat before!

The only hazard you will have to contend with will be dealing with locks on canals, which are simpler than you might think. They are often automatic or electric and if not there may even be a lock-keeper to help you through, or other boating folk also waiting to get through who will lend a friendly hand.

It's hard to get lost when you're following a waterway   and when you do have to pick left or right you will be able to check your maps. You don't always have to moor at a designated marina, in many areas you can stop anywhere. If you need a pit-stop, to refill your water tank or plug into the electricity supply, there are plenty of marinas in most countries where you can use the facilities for a small fee. You might need to reserve a space during high season though so it's a good idea to call ahead.

There are many different types of boat available for hire, whether you're looking for a cosy vessel for a couple or a larger vehicle for a whole family group. They are surprisingly luxurious, usually with hot water on tap, well equipped kitchens, proper showers and toilets and sometimes even tv and air conditioning! You may not even need to plug into the mains when you moor as in most cases the engine charges the batteries which power the appliances and heat the water.

So now you know all the great features and advantages of canal boat hire, why not try it out for your next holiday. It's a great way to relax and enjoy quality time for yourself and your travelling companions.

AUTHOR BIO

Alice Aires writes regularly on a range of subjects including travel, adventure and canal boat hire for several websites and blogs.

Airports across the world are designed to cater needs of their most esteemed customers. When you are planning for a business trip then you have to check facilities available in airports for business travellers. And when you are planning for a leisure trip with your entire family then check whether facilities for family are available in the airport. When going with family ladies and kids you have to surely check for shopping facilities.

Some of the airports like Birmingham airport provide a wide array of facilities to its customers who are travelling from, to and around Birmingham airport. Most of the essential facilities available in the airport make it one of the busiest airports of the world. Friendly staff and top-notch service always delight customers. Some of the facilities offered by the airport include:-

Terminal facilities- As it has only one terminal it won’t be difficult to check in and check out. The flight information tool in the terminal assists customers to check status of the flight for your friend, family or for yourself. The tool will show details related to flight delays, arrival time and departure time. The up-to-date information helps you in planning your travel. In this airport nearly 40 different airlines are giving different services. The facilities in the terminal allow you to collect right information about flight to and from Birmingham airport.

Are you on a business tour? – If you are a businessman then the airport can provide facilities like executive lounges, business meeting halls, communication aids and conference centres with all facilities need for business communications to keep you busy with your business.

Facilities for children- If You are travelling with your entire family then don’t have to worry about children. You can keep them engaged and amused with video games, amusements and rides in the kid’s entertainment room. Otherwise, you can take kids towards the end of the Long Stay Car Park 1 to show aircrafts.

Shopping at the lounge- Do you like perfumes? In the airport from duty free shops you can buy items like sunglasses, perfumes, tobacco, alcohol, aftershave lotion etc. at reduced rates. If you are travelling around the airport then the shops inside it will allow buying items without wasting time.

Parking facility – There are a lot of options for parking Birmingham airport. When drop off/ medium stay option will wait for passengers to arrive and take them to destination, long stay parking allows parking your car for weeks. Then there is meet and greet option, where you can park your vehicle in the parking compound. A chauffeur will do all those parking jobs for you. When you return from your journey the chauffeur will bring your car to the exit terminal.  Those who come to airport in their own cars there are a number of options for parking Birmingham airport.

If you are in the airport then you can choose parking facility, terminal facility and shopping facility for sure so that you can save time, money and energy.