RSS RSS Subscribe

Visiting the Vatican City during your Italy Vacation

By , July 28, 2009 11:06 pm

One of the most popular destinations for people on a vacation to Italy is the Vatican City. Most people do not know that this is a sovereign city-state. This means that it makes its own rules and has its own governing system independent of the Italian system. The Vatican City is a walled state within the city of Rome. It is the smallest independent state in the whole world with only a little over 100 acres. It was formed in 1929 under an agreement between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See. The Holy See refers to the central governing system of the Catholic Church headed by the Pope. The Pope is also known as the Bishop of Rome. The Vatican City houses the official residence of the Pope and it is visited by millions of people each year on an Italy vacation.

You can enter the Vatican City through the famous St. Peter’s square. This square is characterized by great Baroque architecture from the 1600s to include symbols of the church motherly embracing its people in its arms. St. Peter’s Basilica is another place you can visit in the Vatican City while on your Italy vacation because it is also found in St. Peter’s square. It is the most notable building in the Vatican City and this church’s dome can be seen for miles around Rome. St. Peter’s Basilica seats 60,000 and is said to be the largest building in the Christian church. It is noted for being… Read the rest

Travel Nursing With a Friend

By , July 27, 2009 10:34 am

Working as a travel nurse can be a fun career that is filled with new faces and exciting adventures. Working as a travel nurse can also be a very lonely profession.

Travel nurses are nurses who make a living traveling from hospital to medical facility, moving from state to state. Traveling nurses temporarily fill positions at hospitals and medical facilities for a short period of time. Typically travel nurses work at an assignment for three to six months before they move onto another position. If a travel nurse works several back to back assignments if can be years before they get back to their home town to spend quality time with family and friends.

One way to alleviate the loneliness is to work tandem with a friend. Two nursing friends, often a pair who went through nursing school together, joins a agency that specializes in finding positions for travel nurses at the same time. Once their applications have been accepted at the agency the two friends scan the agency’s available jobs and find two assignments available at the same hospital or medical facility. If they are unable to find jobs in the same facility the friends might be able to find assignments in the same town.

Travel nurses that work in pairs know that when they leave on a new assignment that they will see at least on friendly face when they get to a new town in a new state. When they start their new job they know… Read the rest

Who Makes a Good Travel Nurse

By , July 17, 2009 10:34 am

On some levels working as a professional travel nurse looks like the ideal job. It provides nurses with an opportunity to live and work in different parts of the country. They can interact with new people. Travel nurses pull in an excellent salary. They make friends all over the country. They can move south in the winter, and north in the summer. If they feel like taking a few months off, they don’t have to worry about explaining things to their bosses, they just give themselves a few months to improve their mental health before they accept a new assignment. Travel nurses claim that their jobs gives them an opportunity to re-establish their patient focused medicine. Nurses have excellent medical and dental benefits. Who wouldn’t want to be a travel nurse?

The reality is that not every person who comes out of a nursing program is not suitable for a career as a travel nurse.

When you are considering a life as a travel nurse you have to ask yourself if you really like to travel. The life of a travel nurse is serious, hard core traveling. Travel nurses are constantly on the move, going from one state to another, taking assignment after assignment. All the moving around eventually takes a toll on the body and soul.

Bear in mind that travel nurses are working, this is not an extended family vacation, they aren’t back packing across Europe. While they are on an assignment travel nurses are on a… Read the rest

Airfares to Costa Rica

By , July 3, 2009 7:59 pm

When you’re traveling to Costa Rica you want to get the cheapest airfare and the issue with flying is that the prices change every few minutes to an hour and it’s ideal to research sites like Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com and Cheaptickets.com because they offer rates for flights at different times whether it’s high or low travel season.

Most of the major carriers have fares that are early bird specials for when the peak season of travel happens usually during the summer and holidays. Nailing the perfect airfare when you want to travel to Costa Rica will be a work in progress because you could be sitting in front of your computer for hours surfing travel sites for the perfect airfare because the rates change quickly and they can be up one moment and down the next. Your goal is to book the cheapest rate possible and it’s ideal to do it through travel sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Priceline, Hotwire, Expedia and Hotels.com because independently owned websites may not be reliable and you will get a better deal through these reputable sites.

Book your flight at least 90 days before you travel so you can have time to get your tickets if mailed to you and any documentation with travel visas and passports.

Usually the summer is the best time to book flights for the fall season because late summer is when you can get the best deal on airfares. Airfares aren’t cheap to Central America since you’re looking at least… Read the rest

All about passports and visas for your Italy Vacation

By , July 3, 2009 7:04 pm

When traveling to Italy there are several things you must have. The least of these are a passport and maybe even a visa. If this is your first time traveling out of the US you will need to apply for a passport. You may also need to apply for a passport if your old one has expired, is damaged or lost. Applying for a passport is a fairly simple process which may be as simple as a trip to the post office but be sure to start early so you can be ready for your Italy vacation. There are stories of people who have had to cancel vacations because their passport was not ready. You don’t want to do this as it will be very disappointing and also expensive especially if you have reserved an airline ticket or some sort of package vacation.

The US Department of State asks that you allow six months for them to process your passport application however some travelers have found it only took a few weeks for them to receive their passports. You can apply online however first time applicants must apply in person. The main supporting document that is required is a valid original US birth certificate. Passport applicants are sometimes surprised to find that their original birth certificate needs to be submitted to the Department of State with a promise of it being mailed back. Many people tend to be leery of this especially because they have found how difficult it… Read the rest

WordPress Themes