After reading a very interesting post on the differences between male and female travelers on the 501Places blog, and having too many comments on what was said about women and their concerns while traveling , I thought to keep the comment short and turn the rest into a post over here.

A few things about me, the Travel Wizard. First off, I live on the Internet. It’s where I talk to my clients and my friends (real-life and virtual alike), it’s where my blogs and business are located, it’s where I do business and where I fuel my passion for writing. I do go out a lot, but I have a smart phone with an internet connection, a laptop and a netbook. And a lot of my friends are like me. Oh, yeah, and I almost forgot to mention traveling is my drug of choice!

So here’s what’s important for this type of woman tourist!

Choosing a hotel

Wi-fi is the king of all that’s important when selecting a hotel. If times are tough and the hotels in the area present fewer options, we’ll go for wired internet as well. Worse case scenario? Written note from hotel managers that there’s a coffee show around the corner with good wi-fi.

We have blogs to check, business to take care of, tons of spam emails to delete, the works!

Location, location, location! The hotel should either be very close to the sights we’re interested in, or the business center we need to get to, or at least 2 minutes away from public transportation. Travel time is holly! It shall not be wasted on long drives or bus rides that take forever!

Of course, it should be clean! And my personal favorite – great breakfast! I tend to skip breakfast in my everyday life, so it kind of turns into a ritual when I’m traveling.

At the airport

We need to be there on time! 1-2 hours early. Cause missing a flight is out of the question! It never takes too long to have everything checked and approved, so there’d better be enough chairs to sit on to read a book/watch a movie on the computer etc. My personal thanks to all airports that allow me to plug in my laptop and have enough battery during the actual flight

I admit I am a sucker for duty free. And I buy two things: perfume and cosmetics. I have expensive tastes in both so why not save some money? Oh, yeah, and local sweets if I didn’t have time before the airport to have something to be able to give my friends a taste of where I’ve been.

On arrival

The fastest we’re out of there, the better. I always pray the luggage comes in fast, mine wasn’t lost and I can be out in the blink of an eye. Why? Remember what I’ve told you about travel time being sacred?

In the rental car/cab/shuttle

Way too excited about being there to worry about last night. There’s planning to do, places to see, people to get to know. Souvenirs to buy! Busy-bees all the way. Plus, if the airport is far enough, that gives us time for mental notes with sights to be added to the list.

This is, of course, a biased approach! So please read the original post and let us know what your take is on women, men, traveling and what makes us tick!

What is a Dream Vacation? It’s a masterpiece of Travel Wizards, the kind of vacation that you enjoy so much, you speak about it years and years after coming back. You enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day. You take lots of photos, dance like a dervish on the streets and charge yourself with enough energy to last you for a year or two.

How to come up with such a vacation? That’s a mix of knowledge, advanced hotel search skills, planning, great advice from friends passionate about traveling and a whole lot of luck. I’ve had such a vacation last year, when I spent 10 days in the Netherlands. So I did my best to organize an at least similar one for this year. I thought it would be nice to share my plans with you now and then report back every day and tell you what the real deal is like.

Location: Fethiye, Oludeniz, Turkey!

Oludeniz is said to be the best place for paragliding. It’s home to a paradise-like lagoon and beach on the Mediterranean and the nearby mountains are the perfect place for those looking for extreme sensations. Placed in between Kusadasi and Antalyia, it is less popular among travel agencies, but hard core tourists know is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The location of choice, Fethiye, is a few miles away from Oludeniz.

I started planning early. I made the reservations at the Blue Pearl hotel back in February. And I advise you to plan early as well if at least part of your trip is in peak season (July-August). I made reservations for an apartment from August 23rd to September 12th and there were only 2-3 apartments left at each hotel in the area. I also advise you to go there in early summer or late summer/early autumn to make sure you’re not affected by extreme heat.

As you can tell, I had quite a lot of time to find out what to do while staying in Oludeniz. You’d think 3 weeks are hard to fill with loads of fun activities, but in these parts of Turkey, it’s actually quite easy!

What to Do in Oludeniz? Anything You Want Basically!

Of course, there’s the beach where you can lay in the sun, swim in the Mediterranean Sea, read a book under an umbrella, have fruit cocktails or simply enjoy the view. There are always the magic moments to be treasured: the sunrise and the sunset. But that’s enough to fill three days. What else?

Let’s Start with Paragliding!

They say Oludeniz is the best place for paragliding in the world. As it will be a first in my life, I’m guessing I’ll love it anyway. And I have this not so secret plan of getting it all on my camera and then share it with you.

For beginners like me, there are several professionals of tandem paragliding to take you on a breathtaking experience from the top of Babadag, above the Oludeniz Beach and Lagoon, and finally landing on the Oludeniz Beach.

Of course, hard core paragliders are not obliged to have an instructor with them and for those wannabes looking for a license, you can get one here, after acing a 5 or 10 day course. You’ll get excellent paragliding conditions from April till November, 8 months every year. Now that’s some extended season for extreme sports!

White Water Rafting

It just so happens that there are quite a few of Turkish rivers perfect for white water rafting. The nearby Dalaman River is the perfect place to try out your rafting skills. The river is graded 3-4 and is open to rafting from April till October.

It also has a 5 grade section for more experienced rafters which is only open from April to July. And if you want to have fun for more than a few hours, there are one day or overnight rafting campings trips. So get your life jacket and helmet ready, add jackets, wet suits and bootees if it’s cold and let’s go!

Dalayan Mud Bath and Turtle Beach

As you must be tired after such extreme experiences, some light visiting is in order. On your way to the Dalyan Delta, stop to see the ancient rock tombs of Caunos. Then go see the mud bath and dip in the sulfur springs of Dalayan. It’s then time for the spectacular Iztuzu Beach, one of the last nesting places of the endangered Caretta Caretta turtles. The turtles measuring up to 3-4 feet in length come here to nest from May to September.

Canoing

You can then take a day canoing down the Xanthos River (Eşen Çay) through the Patara National Park. Luckily with those like me, no previous canoing experience is necessary.

Horseback Riding

Now that you’re a little rested, nothing like a horseback ride to fill your afternoon! The 18km beach of Patara is the perfect place to start, then make your way through the dunes and along the farmland of Cayagzi.

Walking

Alternatively, you can take long walks on the beach or start going up to see snow-covered mountain peaks and the yayla (highland plateau). You’ll be free to enjoy the extensive pine and cedar forests, the junipers, the maquis and everything else the impressive Babadag mountain has to offer.

Time to Dive!

After spending so long on the surface, I’d say seeing the Mediterranean underworld is a must. The Fethiye and Oludeniz areas offer a wide range of perfect places for both scuba diving and snorkeling and there are plenty of experienced teachers ready to give you a few pointers if you haven’t done this before. You can sign up for a 2 to 5 days diving course or become a master diver in one of the specialty courses.

The underwater landscape is typically a varied selection of reefs, walls, drop-offs and caverns. Local marine life is less abundant than in tropical seas but includes grouper, rays, moray eels, turtles and octopi.

Jump on Board for a Cruise

If you made it all the way to Oludeniz, then experiencing a Turkish gulet is a must. Boat trips come in all directions and lengths possible so it’s impossible not to find something to suit your mood. For example, if you get tired of the Oludeniz beach, take a boat trip to Bodrum and enjoy your time in the sun.

And if all these were not enough for you (and I for one still have some hours to fill), then write these down:

• *Must see where Helen of Troy and Paris had their love story – Pamukkale
• *Visit the ruins of Tlos
• *Visit Yakapark trout farm and water gardens
• *See the Hellenistic city of Hierapolis which is over 2500 years old and swim in Cleopatra’s spa bath
• *Visit Ephesus, one of the best preserved classical cities in the eastern Mediterranean

If this is still not enough, just ask around and you’ll surely find out about amazing places to see and new things to try out. I’m guessing I won’t get bored. What do you think?

Photo credit (hotel). Photo credit (Tourist Attractions).

There are three possibilities when it comes to travel planning: (1) do it all yourself, (2) have an agency arrange lodging and transportation and worry about what to do yourself and (3) leave it all to the agency and just show up and follow their lead. Each of these approaches comes with ups and downs and it also depends on the traveler’s personality, available or inexistent planning time and other such circumstances.

As I want to make it easier for you to choose how to have your trip planned, I’ll explore all these possibilities and focus on what’s good and bad about them. Relax, stay tuned and decide after reading this.

I Am the Master of Disaster

DIY trips come with all the freedom you’ve always dreamed of. Everything is exactly how you wanted it and you have control over every detail. You’re also responsible for every detail of your trip. But if you think you know best what you like, if you don’t want a standardized trip and want to just put your inventiveness to work, you should really go for it.

With all readily available online, finding a hotel, discovering all the major attractions and estimating costs and time can be quite easy. You’ll have to keep a close eye on travel blogs, forums and online booking site reviews.

Thumbs up:

* Everything is your choice, from how you get there, to the hotel and what you visit
* You can change everything as you go if you have a better idea
* You will not be forced to travel with people you don’t know and might not share interests with

Thumbs down:

* It takes a very long time to organize everything
* You might not find out about all the cool places to see and fun stuff to do; also might overlook important details and find everything closed (museums and other attractions)
* You might not estimate everything correctly: time, prices, fun factor

With a Little Help from my Friends…

Partly relying on an agency when planning your trip might spare you quite an effort. You can just email them their request and have everything booked for you, at a certain price. You can have them book your stay, arrange for transportation and go.

Thumbs up:

* Easier to organize and less of a hassle for you
* More time to research what to do on the trip instead of worrying on how to get there
* You still have enough freedom to do what you like and change plans each day

Thumbs down:

* It might not be the best deal you could get. Don’t only think money, also think location and other such details
* As the booking decision is based on just a few objective request, it might not be exactly what you dreamed of
* You’re still left with the largest time consumer and hard part of it all: planning everything you’ll do while you’re there.

Someone Else Has to Worry about EVERYTHING!

There’s a wide range of ready made vacations you can choose from. Everything is already scheduled – from your meals to your activities, and you’ll also have a couple of hours of time to do things on yourself.

Thumbs up:

* Everything is ready for you, you just need to show up
* Groups get discounts when visiting, so when it comes to expensive museums, you can have a big smile on your face
* They agency know everything tourists like and it will all be there for you. If anything is closed, they have 3 other objectives to replace it

Thumbs down:

*Most of the times, you travel with groups of people who can get on your toes quite often
*Your own plans don’t really matter
*The agency might want you to see so much that everything will be in a hurry, no time to really enjoy.

As you can see, there’s something for everyone of us, from the individual travel that wants to do it all on their own, to the lazier ones of us who just want to enjoy their time off work with no real worries on their minds. You should decide what you want and then mix the ingredients to your spell accordingly. But choose wisely, all trips are meant to be enjoyed.