If you’re visiting the beautiful island of Sardinia and are looking for a green retreat that’s quiet, relaxing, breathtakingly gorgeous, friendly, inspirational and also has donkeys and a cool pool, Ca’ La Somara is just the place for you.

Friendly staff, enough grounds to loose yourself and let your thoughts fly mixed with a communal dinner table allowing for fun and light conversation with the other guests, a modern spa and an authentic barn and farmhouse design and decor, this hidden treasure (yes, literally hidden, as the local taxi driver had a bit of a hard time finding it) suits almost everyone.

I have been there in May, off-season. It was not fully booked, but there were enough people to make it all fun, it was hot enough to get a nice tan by the pool and the sea water was warm enough that you could actually swim in it.

Donkeys play a big part in the Ca’ La Somara scenery. The female half of the pair running this venue, Laura, told us she’s always loved donkeys. So when they opened the place, they got a couple live ones (which are very fun to watch and know how to properly act when cameras are around).

Rooms don’t have boring numbers. They are each associated with a colorful donkey. Which makes it all fun! If you’re having dinner at Ca’ La Somara, you can go for a meat or vegetarian meal and to specify it, you must go to this cool board with all the colorful donkeys stuck on it, take a round shaped magned (red for meet, green for veggie) and place it on the one donkey corresponding to the room you’re staying in.

Dinner is a feast! Everything is so delicious! And they do their best to accomodate guests with special culinary needs. They made sure they made not only vegetarian, but also gluten-free meals for someone in our group. By the way, if you must now (and I did, cause I am curious like that), gluten-free pasta is excellent. 4 courses, local wine and some stronger local spirits, deserts to die for, in a word, I could barely walk afterwards!

And the breakfast! The morning equivalent of the evening delights! Actually if you have breakfast and dinner at Ca la Somara you only need a very light lunch in between! Nothing more, otherwise you’ll explode!

Those seeking for space to think and find inspiration, be it for their work, art or just life in general, are bound to find everything they need here. This for example was my favorite spot to write (awsome for lunch as well):

I felt free, at peace and thought I could do anything while I was staying at this Sardinian marvel. I hope I’ll return soon enough, maybe next spring! Who else is comming with me? Not decided yet? Here are some more photos to convince you:

Did you notice how a country-specific cuisine tasted differently in said country and abroad? Chinese food tasted differently in Germany than it does in China. Italian pizza you have at your local Italian restaurant is rarely the same as the one you have in Italy. Basically because foods and drinks are tailored to meed the specific preferences of each country. Just make a simple experiment on your next trip, try the Coca Cola drink in your country and the one they sell in the country you visit. You most likely will notice the difference!

Same with large fast-food chains! I love McDonald’s salads in Romania, I hated them in the US. I hated Burger King in Turkey, loved it in other countries. I used to go to Pizza Hut once a month, I went once in Toronto and I still regret it.

What does this have to do with travel? It’s simple, when you’re traveling, just because you know and like a brand in your home country, it really does not mean you will like it in another country you are visiting. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s wise to go there prepared, cause nothing makes a trip worse than a disappointment that could have easily been prevented!

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.

There are dozens of hotel booking sites available online. Some are general, and you can find a hotel in every country of the world, some are region specific, built around a continent or a larger region and some are country specific. As you see, your options are unlimited, you can search and find the best deal ever. But how to choose wisely every time? Well, there are a few tricks to that.

I for one have started booking my vacations online about three years ago. It started with a sort of an accident: some friends were planning a vacation and used such a site to book our stay. I loved the simple process, the hotel, the fact that we had no major issues with the reservation. I have to admit I was a bit worried, but it all turned out perfectly.

What online booking sites are best at is putting you in charge of your holiday. You’ve already drawn up a budget, you know how much you’ll spent on transportation, sightseeing and food and now you have an amount of money to spend on a hotel. Where to book your stay? And what to keep your eyes open for?

First Ingredient: Research

You should start by selecting a few online booking sites to choose from. You can find online reviews and you can ask friends to recommend some. Do a quick search and work on trial and error.

Remember one thing though! Reviews of booking sites are not always about the best ones. They are sometimes about the newest challengers, so combine them with other resources in your research.

Second Ingredient: Setting up the right criteria

As you might have guessed, the cheapest deal is not the only thing you should look for. You should also keep an eye on what’s included in the room price, how far it is from your visiting objectives, how hard will it be to find it. Also, the price of not included services is important! If what you save on the room is spent on parking, air conditioning or other such services, it’s not the best deal!

Third Ingredient: Selecting a Couple of Great Sites

When you plan your own vacation, research and planning tend to get a little time consuming. So you need a list of top 2 or 3 sites to compare every time you need to find your hotel accommodation. For example, pick one with the most possible destinations, one that also has hostels or apartment rentals and one specific to an area you most frequently choose for your trips.

Third Ingredient: Keep an Eye on New Sites

New hotel booking sites are launched quite often. You should stay updated and make sure to check out the launch contests, special offers and new destinations. I for one have one favorite booking site, but always compare it with new kids on the block. In some areas, they are better, in others, my long lasting love still rules

Your spell is now ready! Stir all ingredients and say the magic words: I’m going on an amazing trip and I’m the one who organized it! All you have to do now is show up and enjoy every second

Your master in travel spells,

The Travel Wizard

Most of you might think that traveling hides no complications, not magical drive, nothing special. It’s just a seldom getaway, or a business trip, or a long drive to see your relatives.

I believe you’d all be wrong! Think about it, for many reasons that have changed over time, traveling and tourism date back to ancient Rome. Or at least that’s how long we know it goes back. What kept driving people to go see new places? I can bet it started with mystery, adventure and discovering new things.

Although it’s become quite popular, traveling shouldn’t be just another checked task on the list. We should start hunting the unseen, the untold and make the best of every new or old place we get to. I know most of you see magic as something unreal, a story to put kids to sleep. I see it as the spark that makes everything better, warmer, easy to remember.

A travel spell is what turns your average trip into an amazing story! It is what puts a joyful and mysterious smile on your face whenever someone asks how your trip went. It is what drives you back to a place only partly explored. It is what drives you to start planning your trip months and months ahead. It is what makes you dream of new adventures whenever you see a good travel photo. It is the sunset and the sunrise that you actually take time to enjoy on a beach, on the top of a mountain, from your hotel room in a busy business center.

I try to travel as much as I can. I plan ahead and try to fit as much as I can in any trip. But I also take that mapless stroll on the streets of a new city, just waiting to see where fate will take me. I long for the getaway, for the new people I’ll meet, for the new dishes I’ll try and for the amazing views that will take my breath away.

There are no trips, vacations and getaways that are perfect by definition. There are those we choose to make perfect. As always, it all comes back to us, our decisions and our spirit of adventure. So come draw a magical itinerary with me, come share your thoughts about where you want to go next, share the never before heard tricks you’ve learned, share the still unsolved enigmas of all places on Earth.

Your Guide through the Ways of Travel Wizardry,

The Travel Wizard