Some great articles submitted this week. Keep ‘em coming, people!

• Artthailand presents Nirvana is waiting….. posted at artThailand. Beautifully written and great photos to illustrate.
• Artthailand presents Road to Barcelona » Park Guell of Gaudi posted at artThailand. [Pics] Been there!
• Jerry Stearns presents The Seine River is A Must-See When in Paris posted at Life After 50 Travel. Totally agree, a night cruise is especially romantic.
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents Profit From The Weak U.S. Dollar With Currency Plays And Other Strategies posted at The Digerati Life. Finance-related but applies to travel to/from the US with good advice.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents 10 Money Saving Travel Tips for Fall. . . or Any Time at All! posted at Fly Away Cafe. Smart, thinking-outside-the-box tips.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents Your Concierge Can Charge You Up posted at Fly Away Cafe – Where travel is a way of life. (Mary Jo, I know you sent more articles but the limit is two a week!)
• The Free Geek presents The Ultimate Guide to Getting Comp’d in Vegas posted at Free Geekery. If only I’d read this before my trip to Vegas a month ago! Oh well.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Chicago Chow posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Honorable Mention: Tuco Tours posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Greg Wesson presents A Tale from Nowhere posted at Greg Wesson’s Esoteric Globe. A lovely snippet about an off-the-beaten-path trip.

Click here if you missed the first carnival, or read more about the carnival and how to submit your travel articles. All linkbacks appreciated.

There are enough entries to merit making this a two-week affair from now on, so the next one will be mid-August.

** = my personal favorites

Travel Planning/Philosophy

• Amanda prepares for a big trip and posts her thoughts on Planning at She Has Moxie.
• Yehuda Berlinger ponders The Reasons Why We Travel – Read Before You Go posted at Yehuda. **
• Mike explains Why I Travel: Television Made Me Do It! posted at Vagabondish. **
• Jason Antic announces Our Big, Big Roadtrip Across America is Coming Soon! and provides an introduction to couch surfing posted at We Go to Cool Places.
• Roger Carr writes about volunteer tourism in Make Your Vacation Memorable This Year posted at Everyday Giving Blog.
• Host Bee shares her pre-departure checklist in Preparing for Vacation posted at Busy Bee Lifestyle. **
• Edith Yeung asks What is your Dream? and recounts a trip to Machu Picchu posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act.
• Eric Daams presents Why Getting Ripped Off is Alright when traveling posted at From the swivellin’ chair….

Flying

• Steve Madsen reviews British Airways – World Traveller Plus (yep, long-haul flights are a bummer) posted at Exit Row Seat.
• Mary Jo Manzanares asks So You Want to be a Flight Attendant? posted at Fly Away Cafe. **
• Stingy Student presents Costliest mistake about the cost of missing a flight posted at Stingy Students.

Travel Savings

• Millionaire Mommy Next Door offers 10 Ways to Save on Travel Expenses posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door.
• Jimson Lee presents Traveling Overseas and Saving Money on International Calls posted at Speedendurance.com. **

Asia/Pacific Articles

• Lubna Kably writes about Little Tibet in South India posted at The Writer’s Cyberslate.
• John Hill presents Koh Samui on a Shoestring posted at Universe Of Success.
• Fellow Kiwi Kara-Leah Masina reveals Why I love New Zealand/Aotearoa, Land of the long white cloud posted at Be Conscious Now.
• John Hill has an Adventure in Cambodia posted at Universe Of Success.

Europe/UK Articles

• Paul Dwerryhouse offers advice for anyone traveling to Amsterdam on a budget posted at Last Carriage. **
• Michelle Brown helps with a London Layover: What to do with 8 Hours in London posted at Inspired Diversions.
• Kate Baggott reviews a Frankfurt eatery at A Child-Friendly Restaurant for Grown Ups posted at Babylune.
• Travelrat visits Exbury Garden Railway posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

US Articles

• Jon takes a segway tour in Tour DC in Style…Segway Style! posted at The DC Traveler.
• Sheila explains 3 Ways to Have a Luxurious Hawaii Vacation on the Cheap and See An Unforgettable Sunrise at the Peak of a Volcano posted at GoVisitHawaii.com. **
• Mike takes The Niagara Wine Trail posted at Days That End in Y.
• Veteran Military Wife reviews Kennedy Space Center and the NEW Shuttle Launch Experience posted at Life Lessons of a Military Wife. **
• Seafarer presents Big Country: The Kansas Flint Hills posted at Family Travel.
• Cade Krueger presents A Trip To Leavenworth posted at Small Business Opportunity.

Other

• Daniel checks out apps in the handy Facebook for Travelers posted at TheLostGlobe. **
• And… Michael presents A Letter In Your Back Pocket: Your Key To The Developing World posted at Traveling Stories Magazine.

What’s just as interesting is the article has elicited many replies from people with their own ‘don’t go’ tips. The commenters suggest we avoid:

• Heathrow and Gatwick Airports
• Renting a buggy in Brazil
• Visiting Africa
• Wearing bling in Saigon
• Flying in the US unless you have to
• Cardiff
• Bucharest
• Dodgy public toilets
• Food poisoning in awkward places
• Vienna
• Pisa
• Athens
• Dunedin, New Zealand
• ..and many more. Read the whole article.

The question is, how much do you take other people’s tips into account? I’ve visited places based on recommendations and been disappointed (eg. I was a little underwhelmed by Montreal, which is pretty, but so are other places).

The fact is, such advice can be a godsend or it could prevent you from having an amazing experience because you didn’t find out for yourself. If I really wanted to see a place, my excitement may be curbed a little by a bad review but I wouldn’t let it stop me.

What about you?

If they’re in Vegas, feeling giddy from the flashing lights and abundance of wedding chapels, they might get married, forgetting momentarily the wrath that will greet them from parents once back home.

So, can you just walk into a chapel and marry? Not quite. But it is remarkably easy. As someone who has walked down a Vegas aisle, I’m going to reveal all.

How do you get a wedding permit?

First you pay a quick visit to Clark County License Bureau, a 15-minute cab ride from The Strip. You wait in a short queue for a license which costs around $50. If you’re a US resident you need your Social Security Number and photo ID. If you’re from outside the US you’ll need your passport. You fill in a form each, pay your bill and head to a chapel.

Which chapel to choose?

If you’re staying in a hotel it most likely has a chapel. However, they can be fully booked due to the popularity of Vegas weddings (over 120,000 a year). Don’t worry – there will be plenty of hawkers outside the License Bureau trying to cajole you into going to their chosen chapel, with limo additional.

There are budget chapels, there are drive-thru chapels, there are chapels with Elvis. How did we choose our chapel? Via the Yellow Pages. How romantic.

What happens at the chapel?

You enter (either having booked, or for some you can just walk in like we did), present your new license, choose how many frills you want with your wedding (flowers, photos, etc) and pay first and sign the marriage certificate.

Then it gets kind of surreal if it’s just the two of you, the minister and the witness (who’s usually the receptionist). They play the wedding march, you walk up the aisle – I was in jeans – and then you hold hands and repeat those classic vows. Next, you’re married! There’s cake and champagne, but you have to hurry it up before the next couple arrives.

Why marry in Vegas?

Well, it’s kind of wacky and fun. It’s cheap, if you’re already in Vegas. It’s certainly a relaxed affair. If you’re an introvert, it means you escape the crowds. But of course many people have a planned Vegas wedding with friends and family.

What are the cons?

If your parents have been dreaming of your special day for years… well, you’re letting them down. But you can always have another ceremony later.

It’s also not particularly romantic. It’s a bit cheesy. You might be cheating yourself of a wonderful day where you dress up and be the center of attention at home. But it’s personal choice.

And if you’ve just met the person that night… you’ll be waking up with more than a hangover. You’ll have a new spouse!

I’ve received so many entries already that I thought I’d post this edition a little early. Hope no one minds. This is also the first-ever Carnival I’ve hosted so please bear with me if there are any glitches.

Thanks to all those who submitted articles, there are some talented writers and great stories out there! The next Carnival will be hosted again here at the end of July. Submit your articles here.

** = my personal favorites

Thrifty Travels

• Annette Berlin presents 10 Money Saving Vacation Tips posted at Frugal Journey. **
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents A Dozen Money Saving Travel Tips for Family Travel posted at Fly Away Cafe.
• Dean presents Travel Around the World For Cheap posted at Mr. Cheap Stuff.

Travel Tips

• Nath presents Avoiding the Shower Menace: Tips For Travelers, not Inmates posted at Ubertramp.com. **
• Adam Hurley presents Travel Tips For Staying Safe posted at Vietnam In Focus. **

US Journey Articles

• Rickey Henderson presents Rickey’s Weekend Running Diary (Of Doom) about a weekend in Massachusetts posted at Riding with Rickey.
• 7 Days of Disney from The Beef Jerky Blog
• Jon presents Are We on Mars? posted at The DC Traveler. “Great place to visit, the Luray Caverns in Virginia, just an hour outside of Washington, DC.” [pics, video]
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents Experience the Japanese Tea Ceremony (based in Washington) posted at The Seattle Traveler.
• Lucynda Riley presents The Traveling Lucynda posted at Quietly into the Night. [pics]
• Madeleine Begun Kane presents Surmounting Marriage posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog. **
• Lydia presents The Outside World: Night Wonders posted at CovertEffect about a trip to Las Vegas
• Linda Martin presents Illinois River Memories posted at Country Kitchen Pantry.
• Meredith Mathews presents Take a Virtual Walk in New York City this Afternoon! posted at Lemonade Stand.

Asia Journey Articles

• Road to Issan and Road To The North from Art Thailand [pics]
• Mike presents Beer Cafes in Hanoi Vietnam posted at Travel Zulu. (Mike, I had this experience in Vietnam too! Classic!) **
• Sheila presents Press a button for refreshment posted at Perceptive Travel Blog about Japanese vending machines. **
• rfcheah presents 3 More Dives @ Redang Island (Malaysia) posted at The World Behind The Viewfinder. [pics]

Europe Journey Article

• Pickled Eel presents Sneaking a Kiss in Paris posted at Pickled Eel.

Photos

• Joey presents Alaska My Home posted at Hearts A Fire. **
• Adam Hurley presents Images From Vietnam posted at Vietnam In Focus.

Other

• Several hotel profiles were submitted which I don’t consider ‘articles’ but here’s a link to the Hotels of the Rich and Famous website if you’re interested in browsing flash hotels.

I can only speak from the position of a Kiwi, but many Kiwis head to the UK on the two-year visa. Many don’t even know that similar visas are now available for Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and more. The visas are generally 1-2 years’ duration and include the right to work at least part-time while there.

These visas are awesome because they mean you can travel and earn money at the same time! Well, hallelujah!

Even if you’re over 30 it’s not all bad news. There are still visas available, and several are points-based depending on your college degree and work experience.

I’ve had two Working Holiday visas, one for the UK (two years, although I only stayed for one) and Germany (one year). I worked mainly as an English Language teacher, having taken a one-month course in NZ first called the CELTA, which is internationally recognized.

I’ll blog more about work experience overseas and how to get a job in another post. This post is mainly to share the good news that there are lots of overseas visas and you should start researching now!

Where do you want to go? Visit the website of that country’s consulate and check out the visa section. Find people who have lived there (Alabama, Arctic, someone will have done it) and ask them how they managed it. People love being asked how they did something.

Note: You will generally need to apply for visas before you leave your home country.

Depending on the country, there may be some red tape to wallow through first, so allow plenty of time. My visa for England took ages, because there were so many applicants. My German visa took a few days. My visa for the US wasn’t hard but I had to wait ages in queues to be approved. Be patient.

Note 2: There are organizations that can help you arrange your visa. Do a Google search for ‘organize visa for [country]‘. I have never used one so can’t comment too much, however I’m a fan of doing it myself because a) it’s cheaper and b) that way I know exactly what’s going on with my application.

Note 3: If you find that you’re from a country that sadly doesn’t have many overseas visa options, consider finding a job at a multi-national company and get an overseas transfer. Friends of mine have done this with great success.