For more information, visit LCLC website at www.lumpkinliteracy.org or call Sharon Kridel at (706) 864-4906.

Dahlonega Baptist Church invites you to Thank GOD It’s Good Friday.

April 2nd 2010, you are invited to a FREE Good Friday Dinner & Movie.

Dinner at 6:00 pm & movie The Passion of the Christ 6:40 pm

FREE child care & special program provided.

Reservations by March 29th

Please call church office 706.864.3676

$30 per person plus tax and gratuity
Seatings at 12:30 and 2:30pm

Eric Jones and Friends
8:30-11:30
FREE!

We have a full service bar, beer wine and liquor…pouring the largest variety of draft beer selection in town!

87 North Chestatee Street
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-482-0114

Montaluce Blog

Expedia.com recently partnered with the National Park Foundation to provide a permanent, one-stop shop to help travelers plan and book vacations to America’s national parks.

“There are excellent values for traveling families right now, and taking a trip to a national park is one of the best ways to stretch your vacation dollars,” says Lee Woodruff, author, travel expert and mother of four. “Families are looking for ways to reconnect with each other and what better option for an affordable vacation than a national park?”

Here are five easy steps to plan the perfect national park getaway:

1. Get Inspired: Ken Burns recently debuted a six-part documentary series for PBS titled, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” Tune into PBS or order a copy online to find inspiration and a detailed look at some of the most beautiful places in the world from Acadia to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska.

2. Pick the park: With original content from the National Park Foundation, Expedia.com’s national park Web site is the perfect resource for families to find the national park to fit their vacation needs.

The site offers pre-set “long weekend” itineraries to start your planning. You can also search through the “Can’t Miss National Parks” section to learn about the park’s location, its natural features, little-known facts including the best times to visit and activities to choose from in each area. Expedia’s site also offers downloadable park maps to help you get your bearings.

3. More ways to save: Take advantage of the public amenities that national parks offer like camping and picnic sites. While there is a small entrance fee to the parks, you can cut back on costs by bringing your own meals and treating the kids to lunch by a waterfall or overlooking the Grand Canyon. Also, enjoy the free activities such as hiking, biking and birding that the parks offer.

4. Book your hotel and rental car: If camping isn’t your family’s style, consider any of the great lodges in and around the national park of your choice. And, if you’re planning to rent a car, consider booking lodging and car together to substantially reduce the overall costs of your vacation.

5. Give Back: Consider giving back to the National Park Foundation by visiting the Web site, www.nationalparks.org and donate, or learn more about volunteer opportunities within America’s national parks. Helping out in these small ways ensures the parks will remain beautiful so your kids can bring their own children one day.

“Planning the vacation is half of the fun, so get everyone involved in the process,” says Woodruff. “There are so many options in our national park system, many of which have rich and amazing heritage, so the whole family is going to enjoy something when you visit.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Even the savviest of travelers, who can find their way around a city with their eyes closed, run into travel snafus, sending their blood pressure through the roof. Navigating the streets of a new city can be one of the most stressful parts of booking and taking a trip, whether it’s for business or leisure.

So you finally landed and you’re on your way to the hotel that you booked in the heart of the city. Everything is going just as you planned. Not so fast! Somehow, you find yourself nowhere near the bright city lights and in a hotel on the outskirts of town where you wouldn’t even venture out for a cup of Joe. Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone – more than half of business travelers say they’ve experienced this very nightmare, according to a recent Bing survey of business travelers.

While finding decent lodging can be difficult, sometimes even thinking about how to get around a city can strike fear into the hearts of business and leisure travelers alike. So which city gets travelers hearts racing when just thinking about how to get around?  Unsurprisingly for anyone who has ever visited either New York or Los Angeles (even just once), both cities topped Bing’s survey as the worst cities to navigate. More than 40 percent said “The heck with driving. I’m getting a taxi!” when visiting the Big Apple and a quarter said that the concrete jungle otherwise known as Los Angeles is too wild for them.

So, how can you ensure you know enough about a city to get around like you were a local, book a decent hotel, check out a local concert or find a local hot spot to grab a bite to eat? Well, the folks at Bing have a few tips to make your next adventure stress-free:

* Pay attention to reviews. Most online booking sites offer reviews from other guests who have stayed at the hotel that you’re considering. While you may be inclined to take the overly positive reviews with a grain of salt, it’s best to steer clear if a hotel receives consistent negative customer reviews.  

* Study up. Check out the local convention center, visitors’ bureau or chamber of commerce Web sites to learn more about the city and its surrounding neighborhoods. This will help give you a better idea of what’s near your destination and the neighborhoods that surround it.  

* Remember, you get what you pay for. If you’re paying a two-star rate, don’t expect to get four- or five-star accommodations and a mint on your pillow. A cheaper rate rarely buys you luxury, but you should still be able to score a clean, safe room that provides for your basic needs.

* Hop online. Use online resources like Bing Maps’ new Streetside experience, a three-dimensional mapping tool. Just log on to Bing Maps where you can zoom in from satellite level to bird’s eye view and even down to street level for 56 major U.S. metro areas.

Now, you can virtually walk the streets of your next adventure with actual 360-degree footage of the area. Not only can you tell if a hotel is in a good neighborhood, you’ll be able to see if there’s a WiFi coffee shop nearby where you can sync up your computer before your next meeting or scope out any traffic jams before you head out. And, you can even find the nearest parking garage so you’re never late again to your lunch date – unlike the more than 40 percent of Bing survey respondents who were fashionably late because they couldn’t find a parking spot.  

“Booking a hotel room on the Internet can be a risky proposition if you can’t see the room, hotel or area it’s in before you book,” says Blaise Aguera y Arcas, architect of Bing Maps and MSN at Microsoft. “But technology like Streetside is making it possible to scope out a neighborhood – and ensure it’s one you want to stay in – without ever having to leave the comfort of your computer chair.” In fact, the Bing survey found that nearly a quarter of travelers rated finding a decent hotel as the most frustrating part of planning their trip.  

Plus, stay up-to-date on the best places to check out on your next trip by using Bing’s Twitter mapping app. Now, you can get real-time information about an area – such as seeing the latest tweets for the local shopping mall before you even go there or even updates about local events and breaking news.

Log onto Bing Maps, where you can plan your next trip whether it’s a far away city or even your own town. Now, you can be a travel guru no matter where you are.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Setting a budget – and sticking to it – can help you stay in better control of spending. According to a recent Visa survey, a majority (54 percent) of last year’s summer travelers either didn’t set a budget or overspent their budget while traveling, and more than a quarter of those surveyed overspent by more than $250. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, it’s important to create a realistic travel budget and make a plan for how you will spend within your means while on the road.  

To create a budget, think through your trip. First, include the basics such as transportation to and from your destination, and lodging. Next, plan for expenses that come up along the way such as meals on the road, host/hostess gifts, rental cars or public transportation. Don’t forget to include entertainment – whether sightseeing or going to the movies. It’s also a good idea to build in a cushion for the unexpected.

Once you’ve set your travel budget, you need to stick to it. One tool that can help is a prepaid travel card. A prepaid card draws from funds that are set aside in advance for purchases. Here are a few ways prepaid travel cards can come in handy:

* Keep travel funds separate. An easy way to make sure you don’t go over budget is to set your travel budget aside on a prepaid travel card. Simply load the card with your travel budget, and use it for everything from online booking to grabbing lunch during an (unexpectedly extended) layover without worrying about spending more than you planned or dipping into gift-buying funds.

* Access cash. Whether you need a few dollars or several yen, choose a prepaid card that will allow you to withdraw cash from ATMs around the world. If you’re traveling internationally, it’ll also save you the hassle of tracking down and waiting in line for local currency.

* Browse and buy. Look for a prepaid card that you can use online. Travel sites offer a wealth of information and detailed listings of competing offers from airlines and hotels as well as reviews from fellow travelers. For flights, you can typically compare possible savings by traveling on alternate days or from nearby airports. Once you spot the deal that works for your budget, use your prepaid travel card to snap it up.

* Enjoy peace of mind when traveling.  Prepaid cards may come with travel-related services. For example, the Visa TravelMoney card offers Zero Liability for lost or stolen cards as well as lost luggage reimbursement and purchase security. Make sure you know which benefits your card offers and how they work so you can tap into them should the need arise.

With some advance preparation and the right tools in place, you don’t have to overspend on travel. In fact, with some careful planning, you could end up with enough left to buy yourself a little something to remember the trip. For more information about Visa TravelMoney, visit: www.visa.com/travelmoney.

Courtesy of ARAcontent