The hot housing market is being fuelled by mortgage rates which are the lowest they’ve been in almost 50 years. First-time home buyers are finding the rates attractive, and home buyers are lining up to purchase their first home or to upgrade to their dream homes. Housing statistics have been capturing headlines for months and the boom is noticeable on key economic indicators.

But the news isn’t just about rising valuations or Canadians moving into their new homes. Quietly in the background, there is a significant trend to refinancing. Canadians who have built up the equity in their home over the last few years are borrowing against that equity in record numbers. According to a report from a major bank, since 2001, Canadian households have taken out approximately $20 billion in cash out of their homes through mortgage refinancing and home equity loans.

We might thank the Ontario mortgage industry for the surprising resilience of the North American economy. In the past two years, the North American economy has endured numerous economic fallouts but consumer confidence remains reasonably strong – at least partly because homeowners have seen some of their losses offset by an increase in their real estate wealth. We find that we are sitting on (and sleeping in) the best-performing investment we own. And even if they have no plans to sell, homeowners have found that the return on their investment is still as good as cash in the bank.

That cash has been a key economic stimulus both here and in the U.S., where the trend is even more pronounced. As Canadians look beyond the view of a home as primarily shelter, mortgages become a valuable resource – and homeowners aren’t necessarily waiting for renewal time to cash out some of their gains.

So where is the money going? The equity being pulled out is often being used to pay down other more expensive debt. Credit card interest rates are shockingly high and – as a nation – our credit card and other consumer debt is continuing to grow. And much of the money is being used for increased spending. There has never been a better time to borrow against home equity to build the kitchen of your dreams, add a new wing, embark on the landscaping project you’ve wanted for years, enjoy the vacation you’ve always dreamed of, or help with the high cost of post secondary education. However, as always, never let your enthusiasm for the opportunity to spend get in the way of good common sense about debt management.

Dog friendly hotels realized that they were missing out on business by not allowing pets and, as such, resolved to offer you another option when you take your dog on vacation. They often advertise themselves as dog friendly and can be located via a quick Internet search. However, you should not settle for the first one you find but, instead, take your time to choose. After all, you do not want to stay in a dirty hotel with bad service. You would not settle for it if you left your dog at home so why settle for it now?

Check consumer reviews on the Internet before you choose the hotel in your place of destination. Consumer reviews are a great way to find out just how good each and every hotel is. Everything will be laid out there in black and white so if the reviews are positive it is worthy of consideration. You should then check the facilities for both yourself and your dog to ensure that everything you need will be provided. Only then will you be equipped to choose the best dog friendly hotel available to you. Most hotels set their own policies, so it is important to call ahead and ask if pets are permitted and if there is a size limit and/or extra charge.

You can find the following publications (list provided by the Humane Society) at most bookstores, which provide listings of dog-friendly lodging:

Arden, Andrea and Emmanuelle Morgan. Fodor’s Road Guide USA: Where to Stay With Your Pet. Automobile Association of America. Traveling With Your Pet—The AAA PetBook. Barish, Eileen. Vacationing With Your Pet. Fish, Kathleen and Robert. Pets Welcome. Grayson, Fred N. and Chris Kingsley. The Portable petswelcome.com: The Complete Guide to Traveling with Your Pet. Habgood, Dawn and Robert. Pets on the Go: The Definitive Pet Accommodation and Vacation Guide. Kain, Tara. DogFriendly.com’s United States and Canada Dog Travel Guide. Kain, Tara. DogFriendly.com’s California and Nevada Dog Travel Guide. Nelson, M. E. The Pet Travel and Fun Authority of Best-of-State Places to Play, Stay & Have Fun Along the Way.

As you and your dog take a vacation together, it’s important that you do your part to ensure that your dog will continue to be welcomed as a traveling companion. Obey local animal control ordinances, keep your dog under control at all times and be thoughtful and courteous to other travelers.

For more information on taking your dog on vacation, see http://www.gogreendogbeds.com/taking_your_dog_on_vacation/

There is now a larger selection of accommodations that give you a place to rest your head when you take your dog on vacation with you. In fact, there are many hotel chains that readily advertise the fact that they are dog friendly. They provide plenty of facilities for dogs to ensure that travelers stay there in relative comfort for the duration of their vacation.  This can be a relaxing and energizing experience indeed.

Another option you have when taking your dog on vacation is the option to take your own RV or caravan so that your dog is familiar with his or her surroundings and has a warm and dry place to sleep. There are more and more parks that allow canine guests and provide apt facilities for them. Choosing to take your dog on vacation is a great option but you may want to avoid camping where possible because, unless your dog is used to camping out with you, it can be a harrowing experience because he or she is likely to wake you up every time there is a slight noise outside!

Finally, if you do enjoy living in the lap of luxury, taking your dog on vacation to a dog-friendly rented apartment, condo or beach house would be a great idea. This is often an easier experience because it is like a home away from home. There are also more of these around than hotels so renting is most definitely an option!

Whichever option you choose, make sure to contact the hotel, RV park or rental property to ask if dogs are permitted, if there is a size limit and/or extra charge and to understand their policies before booking your reservation.  

The following list of publications (list provided by Humane Society of the United States), available at most bookstores, provides listings of pet-friendly accommodations:

Arden, Andrea and Emmanuelle Morgan. Fodor’s Road Guide USA: Where to Stay With Your Pet. Automobile Association of America. Traveling With Your Pet—The AAA PetBook. Barish, Eileen. Vacationing With Your Pet. Fish, Kathleen and Robert. Pets Welcome. Grayson, Fred N. and Chris Kingsley. The Portable petswelcome.com: The Complete Guide to Traveling with Your Pet. Habgood, Dawn and Robert. Pets on the Go: The Definitive Pet Accommodation and Vacation Guide. Kain, Tara. DogFriendly.com’s United States and Canada Dog Travel Guide. Kain, Tara. DogFriendly.com’s California and Nevada Dog Travel Guide. Nelson, M. E. The Pet Travel and Fun Authority of Best-of-State Places to Play, Stay & Have Fun Along the Way.

Try these websites for additional pet-friendly travel resources (list provided by Humane Society of the United States):

DogFriendly.com PetsWelcome.com PetsOnTheGo.com TravelPets.com TripsWithPets.com

As you and your dog take a vacation together, make sure to do your part to ensure that pets will continue to be welcomed as traveling companions. Keep your dog under control at all times, obey local animal control ordinances and be thoughtful and courteous to other travelers.

For more information on taking your dog on vacation, see Taking Your Dog On Vacation.

On the parking lot of the gondola you can see a big bus with oversized wheels called the “Ice Explorer”. This is the type of vehicle used to carry tourists onto the famous Columbia Icefields located between Lake Louise and Jasper National Park.

The gondola takes you from 1583 m (5,194 feet) at the base station to 2,281 m (7,486 feet) to the upper terminal on Sulphur Mountain in just 8 minutes. On the way up I enjoyed the wonderful view of the townsite of Banff, looking down at the Banff Springs Hotel.

At the top of Sulphur Mountain is a complex of visitor services that includes a restaurant called the Regal View Garden. No doubt this is a rather appropriate name since the panorama from Sulphur Mountain is truly something to behold. The summit gondola station also features a roof-top observation deck that is equipped with a variety of arrows, indicating directions and distances to major world cities.

The one kilometer interpretive boardwalk takes you over to Sanson’s Peak which is the location of the 1903 Stone Observatory. Norman Sanson observed the weather from Sanson’s Peak for every week for 30 years and recorded his observations. Near the observatory is the foundation of a designated National Historic Site: the Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station that measured cosmic radiation during the 1950s and 1960s. Along this boardwalk there are a variety of informative panels informing you about local fauna and flora in this unique habitat.

The gondola brochure points out that you may actually encounter local wildlife such as Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Golden Mantled Squirrels, Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles. Although I didn’t run into any major wildlife, I enjoyed the majestic view from the mountain and the peacefulness that surrounds it.

I had a little snack in the cafeteria and sat right next to the picture window and looked down onto the townsite of Banff. It wasn’t a perfectly clear day and Cascade Mountain’s top was covered in mist and cloud, but the view from Sulphur Mountain is one of the most astounding panoramas anywhere.

After my wonderful mountain break, I took the gondola down – although I was debating whether I should take a snowy forest pathway all the way down the mountain which I kept seeing from the gondola. From the base station I walked over to the Banff Upper Hot Springs. The Canadian Rockies limestone mountains have all sorts of fissures and hot springs feed geothermally heated water right up through one of the cracks to the Banff Upper Hot Springs.

The springs were discovered in 1894 and contain steaming water loaded with minerals. Even in the winter people sit in the open-air pool and enjoy the medicinal waters of the Upper Hot Springs. The fully restored bathhouse dates back to the 1930s and also provides day spa facilities offering massage therapy, a steam room, aromatherapy and other facilities. A restaurant and snack bar are also located in the Bathhouse.

For a minute I was tempted to try the Hot Springs myself, but I didn’t have a bathing suit with me. Although the retail shop in the Bathhouse sells bathing suits I decided that rather than relaxing in the hot water I’d get a bit more exercise and I started my walk towards town.

Instead of taking the main road back to town I took a forest path that connects the Banff Upper Hot Springs with the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. It was a beautiful peaceful walk through the trees and it would have been perfect if I hadn’t been wearing the world’s most slippery boots. I had to watch every step on the sloping forest terrain to make sure I didn’t wipe out, and I finally arrived at the bottom of the hill, relieved to be back on a paved parking lot right next to the Banff Springs Hotel.

I strolled by this famous Banff landmark into town and crossed the road to explore the grounds of Canada Place, the home of the Banff Park administration since 1936. During the summer Canada Place offers free admission to an exhibit that celebrates Canada’s land, culture and achievements.

During the winter the facility is closed, but the view from the surrounding Cascade Gardens towards Cascade Mountain is stunning on a clear day. I wasn’t so lucky, for our entire week in Banff we never got to see famous Cascade Mountain completely clear and free of clouds. But never mind, the glimpses that we did catch gave us a feeling for this amazingly photogenic natural feature that is always pictured on Banff postcards.

From Canada Place I crossed the bridge over the Bow River and I visited another important landmark: the Banff Park Museum. It is one of Canada’s oldest and grandest natural history museum, housed in a historic “railway pagoda”, built in 1903, the largest and most elaborate example of early park design, using decorative cross-log construction.

Specimens inside the museum include mountain goats, deer, cougars, bisons, bears, a large variety of birds and mammals and some of these specimens date back to the 1860s. Norman Sanson, the weatherman on Sanson’s Peak, was the curator of this museum for over 30 years, and personally collected thousands of specimens for this museum.

The museum also holds a library where you can browse through a variety of books and magazines. After I had informed myself about Western Canada’s wildlife I strolled down Banff’s main street, aptly named Banff Avenue, I strengthened myself with a quick late lunch in the food court at the Cascade Plaza Shops, one of Banff’s main shopping plazas. After lunch I headed back out on the street and a very chilly mountain wind had started blowing. This was my last walk through Banff on this vacation and I was mentally saying goodbye to this picturesque mountain town.

For the entire article including photos please visit
http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/banff_sulphur_mountain.htm

Considered a day-area ski slope, area statistics show that Frost Fire Mountain has an elevation of 1,346 feet and a vertical drop of 345 feet, with an annual snowfall of 240 inches. With a total availability of 3 lifts, the ski resort has two lifts consisting of 1 double and 1 triple chair, with one surface lift – a rope tow/T-bar; and has a 1,500 person lift capacity per hour. Ten ski trails are available for beginners, intermediates, and experts, while skiing and snowboarding guests each have separate terrain areas. Complete outfitting for all guests can be found for skiing, tubing, or snowboarding activities, with the option of private and group lessons available per hour, or a snowboarding lesson.

When the day is over, a pool and a hot tub can be found at the Super 8 in Morden MB, or a cozy Eagles Nest Bed & Breakfast can be found at Cavalier, ND. Either way, there are a number of motel accommodations in the surrounding areas, including the Walhalla Forestwood in Walhalla ND. There are many restaurants to choose from or you can eat at the Frost Fire Daylodge Cafeteria at the resort.

Several Canadian reviews refer to its low prices and excellent half-pipe. Almost all of the skiing visitors felt it was a wonderful place to learn how to ski, especially if you brought your family. The staff was friendly and was quick to wait on the, so they didn’t have to wait very long. You can buy your food and drinks there OR brown bag it with an excellent place to eat it at. Very few reviews on it were unfavorable, and everyone liked it for family.

If you are not too busy on the slopes, there are area antique shops to visit, or historical sites to see as well. To provide ski maintenance, Frost Fire Mountain Resort has precision stone grinding and base repair, along with ski tuning and waxing available overnight, or while you wait. This resort may be small, but based on skier ability, has everything a person can ask for. Why wait?

So you’re fed up and tired of the same old places to visit every year.

Mazatlan, Sinaloa has a lot to offer. For a person who is looking for a very tropical area with beautiful Palm trees, wildlife, beaches, surfing, golf, fishing and lots more! Take a trip to Mazatlan for an unforgettable adventure like no other, with an undiscovered sea scuba diving is excellent there; it’s virtually untouched waters make a perfect underwater playground!

Taking a trip to Mazatlan will satisfy everyone’s vacation expectations. The city wants you to visit its downtown Centro where you can stroll for hours shopping in the Market.

A trip to Mazatlan is an exceptional idea especially when the celebration of its Mardi Gras – or carnival. This is an incredible, fun week-long party that builds up to a massive crowd. You can expect the carnival to be full of music, dancers, mariachis, street vendors, all night parties, and more!

I must say Mazatlan food is remarkable, with seafood to European cuisine this is the finest places to see on the west of Mexico,

Also don’t miss the worldwide fireworks show. This annual fireworks display lights up the sky with a re-creation of the Naval Combat, commemorating the true defense of the city during the attempted invasion by the French. Book in advance if you want to be a part of Mazatlan’s best week of entertainment!

This popular warm-weather destination: Mazatlan is a favorite for the Americans because this is the closest, best deal vacation spot in Mexico! As well Mazatlan is just a ferry ride away to Cabo san Lucas on the Baja California. There’s also boats you can rent or take a charter to some of the best fishing spots in Mexico, or perhaps jet skis if that’s your thing!

Another place to check out is Mazatlan’s downtown with some very historical landmarks, 19th century buildings, to add to the history the city is adding special theatrical lighting, plus shop Mazatlan’s golden zone for jewelry, silver, and Mexican articles for sale on almost every corner, You will find everything from sea shells to authentic Mexican traditional pottery, clothes and jewelry.

Check out sumbawa Nightclub / Bar for its unique atmosphere, on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with bars in pools to crazy music, definitely a great club to see and one of a kind!

I must say the nightlife is pretty wild as well, I will never forget Sumbawa

To find out more go to www.mazatlantrip.com

I am a Canadian designer with a love for Mexico, so i decided to build some free information Mexico sites

then i didn’t stop building, now i have four, however my goal is to build 20 trip sites to offer a complete market of information about Mexico’s finest places to visit.

Take a trip below:

But I’m still not too sure. What exactly do I need taking my dog to Canada and what (else?) will I need when I’m coming back home?