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Are you and your wine enthusiast friends looking for some place to go to satisfy your wine “cravings”? Are you also having problems as to who will be the designated driver after you have gone through the tasting of wines in the wineries? Is no one among you willing to sacrifice and not drink a drop of wine so that all of you will get home safely? If that is the case, there is no need for you or your friends to continue bickering about picking one person from your group to be the designated driver. The moment you book a limousine for your trip, the position of a driver is filled.

After you and your wine-drinking friends have booked the limousine, the best place to go to fulfill your wine “cravings” would be Maryland. In Maryland, there are more than 180 different varieties of wine to choose from, and there’s bound to be something that’s perfect for you and your friends, and their skilled winemakers provide wine drinkers wonderful world-class wines. Meet the winemakers of the wineries in Maryland and see for yourselves how your favorite wine is made from grape to the bottle.

Begin your wine tasting excursion by asking your limousine driver to take you to Boordy Vineyards, said to be Maryland’s oldest family run winery. Boordy Vineyards was established in 1945 and owned by the R.B. Deford family. They also have escorted tours on the winemaking process and will take you to stroll through the vineyards to experience the beauty of a Maryland winery. If you like, you may even purchase their wines and who knows, you may even be given a discount for your purchase!

After you and your limousine friends have lingered long enough at Boordy Vineyards, it is time for you to move on to another winery. Tell your limousine driver to bring you to Cygnus Wine Cellars, located on 3130 Long Lane, Manchester, Maryland. Cygnus Wine Cellars became a licensed and bonded winery in 1996 and they are a small family winery.

For some fresh fruit flavor wines, ask your limousine driver to take you to Deep Creek Cellars. Located at 177 Frazee Ridge Road, Friendsville, it is a pioneering winery, vineyard, and farm market in the mountains of extreme western Maryland, near Deep Creek Lake. Their wines are inspired by the country wines of Europe and are distinctive and polished expressions of the grape, with a focus on fresh fruit flavors, with the subtle use of oak aging.

One thing that you can be sure of is that when you and your friends finally call it a day, your limousine driver is ever ready to bring you home. And hopefully, this trip has been one that you and your friends have totally enjoyed.

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Every American (okay, every human for that matter) owes it to him/herself to head to Arizona and visit the Grand Canyon at least once in their lifetimes. It’s truly amazing to see how a little trickle of water eventually turned into the Colorado River, which eventually carved out the Grand Canyon.

You can approach your trip to the Grand Canyon in a couple different ways. One way is to stay within the park at one of the lodges on the South Rim and take time to experience all the different things the park has to offer. The other way is to stay in one of the surrounding Arizona towns and take a day trip to the Grand Canyon for a “hit and run” view of the Canyon. Both have their plusses.

The part of the Grand Canyon The South Rim is the part of the Grand Canyon most people are familiar with. It sits on the Arizona side and can be accessed all year round. The North Rim is closed from mid-October to mid-May, and is not as visited as the South Rim.

The benefit of staying within the park is the ability to take your time to view the magnificent Canyon from different viewing points, which you can access by walking the rim trail or taking a shuttle from point to point. For those of you staying for several days, a trip to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon would be a lovely addition, though the drive is about 4 - 5 hours long. For those not wanting to drive, there is a shuttle which provides rim to rim service from mid-May to Mid-October.

For those staying on the South Rim, there are numerous trails down the canyon, as well as a trail along the top of the Canyon called the “Rim Trail.” If you’re staying in one of the lodges and are planning a day hike into the inner Canyon, just be aware that you probably cannot make it down and back in one day. As a matter of fact, each year around 250 people are rescued from the inner Canyon, the majority of whom are able-bodied young men between the ages of 18 to 40 who attempted to hike down and back in one ay. Don’t be one of them. A good day hike would be a couple hours down and then back up. The hike up will take longer than the hike down. Also, be sure to wear good hiking shoes as some trails can be very rocky.

Some people choose to hike down one day and either camp at the bottom or stay in the Phantom Ranch. Be aware, however, that you have to make arrangements well in advance of your trip if you choose to stay at the bottom. Campers require a backcountry permit, and Phantom Ranch is usually booked months ahead. Permits are sometimes available on that day, but why risk it? For reservations at the Phantom Ranch, you can call 888-297-2757.

Some people prefer to stay outside the park and visit the Canyon for a few hours and move on. There are numerous areas in Northern Arizona where one can stay and take a side trip to the Grand Canyon, such as Sedona and Flagstaff. While such locations are still lengthy drives (an hour from Flagstaff, two from Sedona), it’s still close enough for a day trip. Both Sedona and Flagstaff are lovely places to stay, with Sedona being the most ‘touristy” of the two towns. Flagstaff, to me, is the quirkier of the two, perhaps because it is a “university town,” home to Northern Arizona University.

Sedona and Flagstaff are also visually different. Flagstaff is surrounded by a pine forest, while Sedona is in “red rock” country. Sedona abounds with numerous high-end resorts, galleries and expensive eateries. Flagstaff is cheaper all-around, with inexpensive lodging and restaurants. Both are close enough for a day trip to the Grand Canyon.

Of course, you can always opt for an even quicker bus tour, hopping from one tourist stop to the next. But, why not take a cue from that little trickle of water which started it all? Take your time and enjoy the view.

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When you’re travelling around the world, there’s nothing worse than being on a long-distance journey and getting travel sickness. Dizziness, nausea, cold sweatsit’s not ideal really, is it?

Here are a few ways of preventing problems before they happen. And, if you are prone to a bit of travel sickness, we’ve included some possible cures below. Perhaps you can plan in advance, just in case?

Preventing travel sickness

Alcohol and fizzy drinks
Try to avoid them where possible. Not only can they dehydrate the body, they can also cause bloating which doesn’t help. Being in the air can have the same effect as tripling the amount of alcohol you’ve consumed.

Eating
Try not to have an empty stomach when you get on the plane. At the same time, try not eat too heavy a meal. Dairy products, or meals with high calories, salt or protein content are not advisable.

Fresh air
This usually helps, so try and top up before you board. If you’re a smoker, it helps if you don’t light up immediately before you leave.

Seating
Sitting in the middle of the plane (near the wings) often helps to reduce the effect of movements in the air, including turbulence if you’re unlucky enough to experience it.

If you get travel sickness

Water
Try to take sips of water if you can. Travel sickness can result in dehydration, so this will combat the effects.

Relaxing
It might be easier said than done, but if you can keep relaxed it usually helps to decrease sickness effects. Is there any way you can take you mind off your sickness - listening to music, reading or looking out of the window, for instance? Alternatively, reclining your seat, keeping still and closing your eyes can help.

Medication
You can get travel sickness pills over the counter at your local pharmacist - antihistamine drugs containing cinnarizine or anti-sickness drugs with hyosine.

In most cases, you’ll need to take a dose a couple of hours before you take off, and you may have to take more later if you’re on a long journey. If you really suffer badly with sickness, it might be worth investing in sickness patches (again, available from a pharmacist). Stick one behind your ear and it can last for up to 72 hours.

Ginger or peppermint
Some people swear by ginger as a natural remedy for travel sickness. You can buy ginger crystallised or ginger tea, gum or tablets. Peppermint might also help. You can find both in natural health shops.

Acupressure band
An alternative to medication is an acupressure bands which you wear around the wrist. This works by pressing on a point in the middle of the inner wrist and about 3cm above the wrist skin crease. You could try this yourself if you’re feeling the effects.

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