Before getting into the passenger seat with your eager driver, why not take some driving lessons yourself?

When I was going through driving tuition, more moons ago than I’d want to recall, one of my mates told me that he wouldn’t pass his test again, because of the way he now drove.

Despite having driven safely and without incident for over 20 years, he was sure that during that time he’d developed too many bad habits which could lead him to fail.

The example he made reference to was crossing one hand over the other when turning the steering wheel – one thing that I’ve always conscientiously avoided, because of him.

His words came back to me recently when one of my own children started to learn to drive. It raised the question: what bad habits had I picked up in 25 years of driving?

I’d already checked that I met the legal minimum requirements for providing driving lessons – namely that I was over 21 (by just a few years…), held a clean driving licence for the type of car my daughter was driving and that I’d had my licence for at least three years.

However, there’s a lot more to teaching someone to drive successfully than these three attributes. For a start, you require extreme patience, the heart of a lion (for the first few trips at least) and the diplomacy of a United Nations Ambassador.

And if that’s not enough, you need to recall the “correct procedure” (as per The Highway Code) for every manoeuvre that you may need to execute on the roads of Britain. Now, I can perform parallel park with the best of them, but not necessarily as per the book, I suspect.

So I realised that it would make sense for anyone charged with the responsibility of tutoring a learner driver to take some refresher driving lessons beforehand – to rid them of any bad habits they’ve acquired since passing their own test.

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If you’re currently considering your first London in the UK, you’ll definitely want to see all of the wonderful sights that the city offers. A dedicated private tour company like those gatwick airport transfers can help to make certain your stay is memorable.

Throughout London there is almost no limit to the things you can see. Start with a private tour of London’s Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Place. Next head on across to the center of town to see Big Ben the famous clock.

You’ll want to stop for lunch because London has some of the finest pubs in the world, and your tour guide will know where they are.

After a lunch of fish and chips, and of course some lager, at the local pub, your chauffeur might whisk you away to Buckingham Palace where you may get a glimpse of the Royal Family. You can see if you can make the Royal Guards smile. If you stay around for the legendary changing of the guard, you might get to try your hand at tantalizing a second set of the red and black clad pillars of sobriety.

Your guide will know that no London tour can be complete withouth visiting Westminster Abbey. This marvellous building, which was first built by Henry VII will wow you with it’s impressive architechture and history.

By this time you will need to get out of the limo and extend your legs before dinner. How about visiting the historic London Museum? You’ll learn a great deal more about the history of this great city and see displays that will bring the stories to life.

Finish your day tour with dinner at one of London’s numerous world renowned restaurants, then you might want to move on to a club to experience the capital’s vibrant night scene. But it’s entirely up to you. All you need to do is ask and your guide will make your wishes a reality! Don’t miss the chance to tour with a guide when you next come to London. No matter your itinerary, a tour guide will make it much more interesting and exciting.

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European tours often highlight the most popular cities of the continent.

London, Italy, and Madrid are all continental hot spots, but there exist miraculous and breathtaking cities and sights that are often overlooked.

Budapest, known as the City of Spas and the Queen of the Danube, is unquestionably one of the most spectacular European cities. This densely populated Hungarian city captivates its audience with an incomparable amount of history and architectural excellence that visually overwhelms even its residents.

Top on the list of things to consider with european vacations packages is an efficient opportunity to re-live history.

Museums populate the streets with rich history. The Aquincum Museum and Roman ruins contain the 2,000 year old remains of the Roman town of Aquincum.

The Budapest History Museum and Castle Museum are the main collection of Budapest’s archaeological finds and developments of the area from Romanic times.

The Transport Museum is one of the oldest transport collections in Europe and is noted around the world for its railway system. Touring the museums alone would take several vacations.

There is an intense historical prevalence in Budapest, especially for those of the Jewish ethnicity.

The Holocaust impacted this city tremendously, as around 500,000 Jewish people were transported from Budapest to Auschwitz. In this city of overwhelming beauty, the curious tourist will become humbled as to the tragedy that transpired within this country.

One of the most effective experiences with vacation packages to europe are the opportunities to view breathtaking landscapes.

Springs of naturally warm waters speckle Budapest’s landscape, and each has claim to healing properties of its own.

These are utilized as thermal baths, and travelers come from all over the world to this City of Spas. Each spring or bath has its own history.

The Szechenyi Bath, the hottest and deepest bath in Budapest, is one of the biggest bathing complexes anywhere in Europe! This natural spring water is so warm that its popularity is unscathed by the chills of winter.

These thermal waters of Budapest provide the visitor not only with natural hot springs in which to bathe, but also remarkable caves carved into the Budapest landscape.

Some of these caves are available to the public for spelunking and tours.

Budapest is an extraordinary city with elements that are unmatched by Europe’s more commonly-visited counterparts.

Expose yourself to this rich, fantastic, breathtaking and historically profound country, and your life will change forever.
For folks who want to explore further, vacation packages to italy are an excellent next step in your itinerary. Bon voyage!

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The Loire Valley in France is a stunning destination for a hoiday or a french wedding. The Loire Valley is a spectacular holiday destination. Why just visit a chateau when you can stay in a real one and be waited on like a Lord of the Manor. You can hire a Loire Valley chateau for a french wedding and even select a wedding package for that wow factor wedding. Your destination wedding guests can spend days visiting the historic chateaux and gardens of the Loire Valley sampling fine wine and cheese and gastronomic delights along the way. Your history buff friends and family will be delighted.

Chateau de Chambord was commissioned in 1510 by the young King Francois definitely an egomaniac when he was only 25 years of age, to help establish his power. He was not content with the amazing chateaux of Blois and Amboise.

He fancied a hunting lodge. Francois I spent without counting to realise his masterpiece project. He even went so far as to change the natural course of the Loire River. The chateau we see today was not completed until 1685, and by far it is the largest chateau in the Loire.

The Royal Chateau at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is the most recognisable chateau in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture that blends classical Italian structures with traditional medieval forms and a variety of towers and turrets. The roofline really is incredible.

If you’re going to visit one chateau on the Loire, it should be this one. This is solid stock. 84 staircases, 18 stories high 440 rooms, 420 feet wide, …. Inside the chateau the highlight is the double helix staircase which serves as the axis for the entire chateau, and is thought to have been designed by da Vinci.

The chateau is in the centre of a 13,000 acre wooded park and game reserve with red deer and wild boar, surrounded by a twenty mile wall. It is the largest forest park in Europe.

The castle was rarely occupied. Francois I spent barely 7 weeks at Chateau Chambord on short hunting trips. The chateau was never constructed to be a permanent residence and it was not practical to stay there on a longer term. This was exacerbated by the fact that the chateau was not surrounded by a estate or a village. Other than game, there was no immediate source of food.

When the chateau was vacated it was left completely unfurnished. All of the tapestries, paintings, furniture, eating implements, were brought in especially for each hunting trip. It would have been like co-ordinating a party of two thousand odd including the royal family going camping.

This is why much of the furniture from this era was built to be disassembled in order to aid transportation. French armoires and beds all disassemble beautifully. Contrary to popular belief Ikea did not invent flat-packing.

After King Francois died, Chateau de Chambord remained unoccupied for some eighty years falling into a terrible state of decay. In 1639 Louis XIII gave it to his brother, Gaston d’Orleans who carried restoration work which was greatly needed. He saved the castle.

Louis XIV furnished the royal apartments and added a horse stable for a mere 300 horses to allow him to use the castle as a hunting lodge.

In 1930 the chateau became the property of the French Government but restoration work was not begun until a few years after World War II ended in 1945.

Make sure you have good pair of walking shoes, a little snack and a bottle or two of water, and a camera preferably with a fish eye lense. Park your car in the free parking lot. Try to get there before or after all the tourist buses.

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International Car Rentals

If you are planning on a tour of Europe you would do well to remember Germany, with a variety of historical traditions and beautiful villages it is still a modern country that has not been over developed. Germany has not been allowed to forget their past but this has not stopped them from re-inventing themselves as a worthwhile nation, with a proud if sometimes dark past. With some stunning countryside scenery with quaint villages and impressive cities, there is a great deal to see in Germany but you will probably require a car to take full advantage. Do yourself a favor though and pre-book your car rental for Germany at home before you go as it will be simpler and may save you some money as well.

Germany has come a long way but their adoption of English as an alternative language has not taken place amongst the general population. Apart from the possible discounts you may lose by not booking your car rental in Germany early it may save any problems when trying to organize it when you arrive. Before you book your car, sit down and carefully look at where you intend to go and add up the mileage as it is important to know just what it is you can expect in advance. Try to be practical about this and ask yourself if you really need a car because if you only visiting a few places then there are other forms of transportation that can do the same job as a car.

For example, can you actually afford to rent a car in Germany for the full period you are there? Many people familiar with driving on the left side of the road do not feel they can easily adapt to driving on the right side of the road. To some people, even proficient drivers, this is something they would prefer to avoid and it could potentially ruin there holiday. One solution to this is to ask one of your companions if they wouldn\’t mind driving the party instead.

So if you are a lone tourist or your other companions also feel the same way you do then as an option, consider arranging a professional driver for your trip, hired when you arrive at your destination. Ask the car rental agency to book you with someone who speaks good English, doesn\’t need to be superb nor remarkably fluent but someone who can at least understand what you\’re saying and vice-versa. Your vacation is supposed to be a stress free, relaxing time so make sure this small detail is not overlooked. To enjoy your car rental in Germany, organizing what you intend to do in advance is the surest way to stop headaches and kept the vacation stress free plus the chance that money will be saved.

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