31Jul 2019 by Monika Giacca Millar No Comments
Disney Tips and Secrets

Disney Tips and Secrets

INFORMATION, TRAVEL
Below is a list of tips, tricks and packing lists for Disney World, based on my own experiences and after scouring the top Disney planning resources online.  I’ve linked to them a few times below, so it’s worthwhile going through their planning tips as well for more information. Disney World is an amazing experience for young and old, but a little planning in advance can help you save a lot of time waiting in lines and money. Disney World might not be on your bucket list but I’m sure your kids will love you for taking them there. GENERAL DISNEY WORLD TIPS AND SECRETS Guests staying at Walt Disney World Resorts, Disney Swan and Dolphin, and the Disney Springs Resorts get access to the parks an hour early and two…
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17Jul 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#52 Fire a Military Grade Rifle

#52 Fire a Military Grade Rifle

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 5th January 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This was the fourth and final bucket list item I completed during my trip to Las Vegas. In my previous post, #40 Jeep or Buggy Sand Dunes, the story concluded with Kyle and me heading back from ripping up the sand dune outside of Las Vegas. We were still riding the adrenaline high from the dune buggies and had booked in to do some shooting at The Gun Store on the Las Vegas strip. The guys from SunBuggy Fun Rentals were nice enough to drop us off at The Gun Store when they brought us back into town. This was our last day in Las Vegas so we wanted to pack in as much as…
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03Jul 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Why I Travel

Why I Travel

GENERAL, INFORMATION
The key to my happiness is doing things that I love and one thing I truly love is travelling. Travelling brings me so much joy, and every time I go travelling, I am reminded of why I love it so much. I have always had a running list in my head of the reasons why I travel but I never took the time to write it down. This sounds like some peoples’ approach to bucket lists. Realising this, I decided to take my own advice, so I wrote them down. Here is a list of all the reasons why I travel. I travel… Because it makes me happy To learn about myself To experience new things To attend events Because I like airplanes To collect miniature shampoo bottles To visit…
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19Jun 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#40 Lesson] Take Time to Make Decisions

[#40 Lesson] Take Time to Make Decisions

BUCKET LIST, INFORMATION, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #40 Jeep or Buggy Sand Dunes. When asked whether I wanted to do another 30-minute dune buggy experience for half the price, I said no. It was an amazing deal and an amazing opportunity but I was shattered and didn’t think I would be able to endure another 30 minutes. Turns out all I needed was a little break to recover. By the time I changed my mind, we were on our way back to the Las Vegas strip and I missed my chance. This taught me a valuable lesson about not making decisions in the heat of the moment and taking a break to think. I will be honest; this is one of my weaknesses. When someone asks me a question…
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05Jun 2019 by Monika Giacca Millar 1 Comment
Flirting With Disaster

Flirting With Disaster

INFORMATION, TRAVEL
My number one travel tip is a difficult one for me to suggest to my clients. The travel motto my husband’s and I have is, “The best trips are the trips where something goes wrong.” We’ve travelled a lot together, we’ve seen beautiful cities, beautiful beaches, met lovely people … but if I’m being honest, there’s something just so vanilla about those trips. Don’t get me wrong, I do not wish disaster upon myself or anyone, but it’s when things go wrong that the opportunity for truly great memories and excellent stories are born. I also think it’s an excellent travel philosophy for anyone who travels frequently, you need to roll with the punches. When you come back from a trip it’s much better to come back ‘glass half full’…
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22May 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#40 Jeep or Buggy Sand Dunes

#40 Jeep or Buggy Sand Dunes

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 5th January 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. In my previous post, #25 Go to the Grand Canyon, the story concluded with Kyle and me enjoying a meal at Hooters after our adventure to the Grand Canyon. Our schedule in Las Vegas was packed full of activities. For many people, Las Vegas can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We had no clue if, or when, we were going to make it back so we decided to make the most of it. The following day we had a tour scheduled with SunBuggy Fun Rentals. They were the original dune buggy operator in Las Vegas and offer the best gear and great experiences. They sounded like a good outfit so we figured we were in for…
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08May 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Credit Card Travel Benefits: Credit Cards vs Travel Cards

Credit Card Travel Benefits: Credit Cards vs Travel Cards

GENERAL, INFORMATION, TRAVEL
This blog post is the fourth, and final, instalment of my Credit Card Travel Benefits Series and continues on from Credit Card Travel Benefits: Cash vs Credit Cards. In my last blog post, I compared the use of cash and credit cards during an overseas holiday. The results concluded that, with all things considered, using credit cards for overseas travel was the better option. In recent years, reloadable travel cards have become more popular and banks have encouraged their customers to use them while travelling overseas. Once you obtain a travel card you can load money onto it, from your bank account, in your local currency and have it converted to any of the currencies supported by the card. When you load the travel card directly from your bank account,…
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10Apr 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#25 Lesson] Witness Things with Your Own Eyes

[#25 Lesson] Witness Things with Your Own Eyes

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #25 Go to the Grand Canyon. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, then how many words is seeing something with you own eyes worth? Is it 10,000? Is it 1,000,000? There is no answer. There is no compromise. Nothing compares to seeing something firsthand. Don’t cheat yourself. I had seen hundreds of images of the Grand Canyon before visiting it that day, but when I stood at the edge, I was truly blown away. Photos make it look amazing but to stand there and stare out at the great expanse was something I will remember for the rest of my life. I had a similar experience when I visited the Coliseum in Rome. These are two of the…
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27Mar 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#25 Go to the Grand Canyon

#25 Go to the Grand Canyon

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 4th January 2013 in Arizona, USA. This blog post will pick up where #26 Gamble in Las Vegas left off. After a successful night of gambling we got some sleep for, our much anticipated, next day. When we realised that we would not be playing in the third day of the WSOBP, we went to the concierge at our hotel and booked a rental car. The concierges in Las Vegas are top notch. They are always happy to help out, no matter how crazy the request. A rental car booking was a walk in the park for them. After breakfast, we made our way to the rental car agency to pick up our navy blue, convertible Ford Mustang. It takes about 4.5 hours…
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13Mar 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
2011 & 2012 Roundup

2011 & 2012 Roundup

BUCKET LIST, GENERAL, LESSON
Over the past several weeks I have been posting the stories and lessons that I have learned from my bucket list adventures in 2011 & 2012. I managed to complete one item in 2011 and two items in 2012, which brought my total number of completed items up to nine. My bucket list progress from year-to-year can be tracked using the graph I have created. In case you have missed any of the stories or lessons from my bucket list adventures, here is a roundup. #95 Swim with Dolphins Completed on 22nd April 2011 in Varadero, Cuba. [#95 Lesson] Always Assess the Information Source   #38 Eat at a White Castle Restaurant Completed on 26th August in Green Brook Township, New Jersey, USA. [#38 Lesson] Cherish Adventures with Your Close…
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