BY
CLAY LARROY
Make the most of your travel experiences. Taking a cruise
is a great way to see many different places when you travel. Cruises offer many
activities and things to do while on the ship, while offering you the
opportunity to explore different locations each time you arrive at a port. Travel
is a great opportunity to learn more things. Time spent abroad helps you
understand and appreciate diverse cultures. In addition, it encourages an
acceptance and tolerance of ways of life that differ from your own. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
In 1872, Yellowstone National Park became the first national park in
the United States. Today, there are 390 areas under the National Park domain.
Every state with the exception of Delaware has some National Park Service land.
This land includes national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks,
historical parks, lake and sea shores, rivers, trails, historic sites, and the
White House.
The National Park system provides plenty of
opportunity for a variety of vacations and tours. Well over 250,000,000 people
visit these sites every year. From educational tours, back-to-nature
experiences to relaxing seaside vacations, the plethora of opportunities for
recreation at the National Parks is endless.
Use this article to assist you in planning your
visit to a National Park. Whether you are flying or driving, your travel
consultant can assist you with transportation choices, accommodations along the
way and at the park, as well as with very important travel advice that will
keep you focused on your vacation and visit rather than on the logistics of
travel. In addition to independently planned trips to any national park, your
travel agent will also have access to special tour packages that provide
additional amenities, guides, transportation and meals often not available to
those booking independent tours. Many tour operators have access to special accommodations
and provide logistical support for groups. In some instances, tour operators
provide excursions to multiple national parks in a single tour, allowing the
traveler to sit back, relax and let someone else do the driving. Many such
tours are nearly all inclusive, encompassing meals, transportation, accommodations
and all passes, organizing the traveler’s time so that travel and sightseeing
is efficient and affordably on budget.
The mission of the National Park Service is to ‘preserve
the natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education and inspiration
of this and future generations.’ Along those lines, vacations to the National
Park Service sites should follow that goal. You wouldn’t find amusement parks
and fast rides at the sites but you will find just about everything else, even
shops at many of the parks.
Choosing the National Park Service site for a
vacation depends on your budget, your time allotment and most of all, your idea
of a vacation. Many National Park Service sites have park rangers that lead
programs including interpretive walks and hikes, shows at the visitor centers
and other special events. There are Junior Ranger programs at many parks where
children can earn badges by exploring the park and performing simple tasks.
Many parks have lodging that includes simple cabins, camping areas,
and rustic lodges. There are concession stands, small grocery stores and
restaurants at many sites as well. And for those who always need to buy a
souvenir, many have wonderful stores with books, clothes and even jewelry items
for sale.
Pets are welcome at most National Park Service
sites so long as they are properly restrained.
Interested in history? Visit Gettysburg
National Military Park. Want to swim? Visit Assateague National Seashore.
Always wanted to spot a grizzly bear? Try one of Alaska’s parks. Visit the
National Park Service web site at www.nps.gov to learn more about the National Park
Service and to find out more about a park or site.
Recreational activities available vary from
park to park and season to season. At many parks, you can hike miles and miles
of trails and paths on your own or participate an interpretive hike with a
ranger; bike; swim; visit the visitor centers and museums and partake in events
and interactive displays; ski; fish, and in some, even hunt. And of course, you
can always just relax and enjoy the scenery!
At many parks there are special natural
attractions to visit and watch. No one would visit Yellowstone National Park
without watching Old Faithful erupt at least once!
Many of the national parks, forests and seashores are perfect
settings for animal lovers. The animals are protected in the parks so there are
often plentiful where you may not see them in other areas. In our national
parks, you can see animals such as grizzly and black bears, elk, moose, deer,
jackrabbits, squirrels, various snakes and fish, turtles, marmots, ground hogs,
prairie dogs, rabbits, wolves, coyotes, manatees and even whales.
Bird watching is another favorite hobby with
national park visitors. Stop in at the National Park Service visitors’ and
nature center when you first arrive at a park to see what wildlife and bird
sightings you can expect at that park. Of course, use caution when necessary
around wild animals.
Park rangers and naturalists are well trained
in local wildlife and fauna and are a wealth of knowledge for park visitors.
REFERENCE SITES:
http://www.travelresearchonline.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment