Connemara-Ireland

World Class Travel Destinations: Ireland

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The Ireland we know today started in the Bronze Age (1,300-700 BC), when Celts migrating from Europe’s mainland brought their culture to Ireland. Like many first-world countries, much of Ireland’s indigenous culture has become highly commercialized.

However, the culture that underpins the commercialization can still be found in its purest form in many common Irish activities, and tangible reminders of Ireland’s past are around every corner and bend.

If you’re considering making Ireland the destination for your company’s next incentive travel trip, below are some things you can do in the nation to form memories that last a lifetime.

  1. Do an Evening Pub Crawl

Pub crawling in Ireland offers a different experience than bar hopping in the U.S. The pub lies at the heart of Irish cultural, social, and musical life. Traditional Irish beer and liquor, literary readings, dancing, serious and light-hearted philosophizing, and comforting pub cuisine are all a part of the pub going experience.

With a group travel vehicle to transport you from pub to pub, you can enjoy the delicious drinks without worrying about the drive back to the hotel.

  1. Go Sightseeing for Castles

To many, Ireland is known as a land of castles, with some in great condition and others in ruin, with only crumbling stone walls remaining. Touring Irish castles is like taking a time machine into the country’s past.

Some of the well-preserved properties have interiors that are faithful to the period when the properties were built, right down to furniture, rugs, and window treatments. You also have the option of lodging in a castle, as some have been turned into luxury hotels.

  1. Put on Your Dancing Shoes

If there’s one thing Irelanders love as much as the tradition having a stiff drink while conversing, it’s the tradition of having a good dance. In Northern Ireland especially, sessions of Highland Dancing, Scottish Country Dancing, Ulster-Scots Square and Country Dancing are commonly held.

You don’t need to have the best dance moves to participate. The Irish do hold traditional dance competitions, but main aim of Irish dance is to move merrily like there’s no tomorrow.

  1. Dine at Fine Restaurants

Ireland doesn’t receiving its fair billing for fine cuisine, but eating at some of the country’s best restaurants will take you on an Irish culinary adventure that shows the country’s good taste.

Traditional Irish eats include: ham steaks with whisky sauce, crusty roast lamb, Irish roast pork with potato stuffing, and cod cobbler. In short, the Irish really know how to do comfort food. Arrive hungry, and taste great dishes that let you savor the culinary flavor or Ireland.

Make Your Plans a Reality

It’s great fun to list the things you’d like to do on a trip to Ireland, but making the journey a reality — especially in terms of creating a highly unique travel experience — can require lots of detail work and planning.

This is where Incentive Travel Solutions enters the picture. We help you plan a highly unique trip, make all of your trip arrangements, and send a retinue of travel staff with your group to ensure your travel itinerary is executed perfectly to the smallest detail.

To learn more about our services, call us today at (704) 540-1482, or use our contact form. Ireland is a world class destination; we help incentive travel groups enjoy it to the fullest!

 

 

 

 

 

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Escaping to Vienna Austria

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login-logoYou would be hard pressed to find anyone in the United States, both travelers and non travelers alike, who have not at least heard about Vienna, Austria. There is a reason why practically America’s entire population is familiar, in one way or another with Vienna, Austria, and it is because this beautiful location is one of the most famous European cities in the world, and one of the most popular travel destinations for people all over the globe who enjoy embarking on vacation getaways. Movies, books, television, magazines, celebrities, and word of mouth attribute to the popularity of Vienna, and this is because of how much everyone loves and enjoys traveling to this wondrous city. There is so much culture to soak in – from music, theatre, and the opera, to museums, national monuments, architecture, and lavish galas, soiree’s, and balls – there is something for anyone from any walk of life to indulge in that it is impossible to leave Vienna unsatisfied. Also, wait until you get a taste of the city’s delectable foods and entrees, so tasty that when you return home you will be pining for those incredible Vienna dishes.

Some of the major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of Hofburg and Schonbrunn. Vienna is also the home of the world’s oldest zoo. If you would like to see a play, then venture to the Burgtheater – one of the most popular and noteworthy theatres in the entire world. If you are cultured in classical music, then you know that Vienna is considered not only the home of the start of the classical movement, the city, along with the country of Austria boast the beginning careers of famous musicians, including Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, Fritz Kreisler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and Antonio Salieri, among many noteworthy others. For a more contemporary selection, make sure to check out the Vienna boys’ choir – probably the most popular and successful boys choir the world has ever seen. If you consider yourself an aficionado of classical music, or even music of the world, it would be blasphemous to claim yourself a lover of the classics and never having stepped foot in Vienna, Austria.

There are over one hundred art museums in Vienna, Austria, including the Albertina, Belvedere, and Leopold museums. At any of these museums, or the numerous other delightful museums across Vienna, you can experience the greatness of Vienna culture. In addition, a simple ride through the city will expose you to the unbelievable architectural work of museums, cathedrals, estates, monarch buildings, political establishments, as well as the theatres.

If you are fortunate enough to work for a business that provides travel incentives for employee, take advantage of the opportunity. Incentive travel programs are for employees who meet and/or exceed company set expectations. It’s a huge benefit that offers unforgettable experiences. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to embark on an adventure like Vienna, Austria. A lifetime of memories is awaiting you.

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Incentive Travel Destination: Zermatt, Switzerland

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travelThough many people associate the summer as a time for vacation travel, more people are using their time off during the colder seasons to enjoy the now immensely popular skiing and snowboarding destinations. For those who love for the mountains and the right kind of snowfall that makes for opportune skiing, they have heard that there is no region better for ski conditions and beautiful trails and scenery than the Swiss Alps. The drawback—because of how incredible and exotic the Swiss Alps, and the ski resorts within the region are, the cost not only to get there, but to stay in a resort or lodge and pay for skiing is wildly expensive. Therefore, places in the Swiss Alps, including the resorts in Zermatt, Switzerland have become thought of as elitist, as only people of extreme wealth can truly afford to enjoy all it has to offer due to the cost of a trip.

For those who have been fortunate to vacation and ski in Zermatt, Switzerland, many will say one would be hard pressed to find a better place in the world to ski—not only because of the town and the resorts, but also because of the beautiful mountainous terrain and the excellent “powder” (what ski aficionados call the snowfall during the ski seasons). If you were to research the city of Zermatt online, it would only take you a few minutes to realize the beauty of the town, as well as the numerous winter and summer activities that can be enjoyed. The architecture is unmistakably of European influence, and the sparse population gives Zermatt a feel of a quaint, yet beautiful little town—making for the perfect getaway.

For those who work for a company that offers employee incentive programs, a dream vacation to a place like Zermatt can easily become a reality. Corporate travel incentive programs give hard working employees the opportunity of a lifetime—to go on an all-expense paid vacation to a place in the world they might not be able to afford on their own. If you have constraints about when you can take time off and are worried you might miss the ski season, Zermatt is located in a high altitude region, meaning one can enjoy skiing year-round. This is one of several reasons why the city has become a mecca for avid skiers—the ability to ski or snowboard anytime of the year.

A vacation to a place such as Zermatt is what makes employee motivation programs so successful. After a week or two of spending time flying down slopes and enjoying other athletic or leisurely activities enlivens hard workers, which means they come back refreshed, energized, and ready to resume their duties. In addition, they stay motivated to make sure they never miss the wonderful opportunity to embark on an incredible vacation destination in the future.

Incentive Travel Destination: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

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There are places in this world that feature such natural marvels, the creation of which cannot be explained. These natural phenomena have been dubbed wonders, of which there are seven natural wonders. These are places that offer a rare and truly life-changing experience; a scenic wonder and aesthetic marvel that cannot be rivaled by anything else similar to its kind. Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is once such natural marvel and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Based on certain dimensions, Victoria Falls is considered the largest waterfall in the world. Finding a way to plan a trip centered on experiencing this great waterfall would certainly be an adventure you will never forget.

Right now, you might be thinking how wonderful it would be to see the Victoria Falls, but realistically, the logistics of a trip to Zimbabwe and financing the trip might not be in your favor. However, if you are fortunate enough to work for a company that offers employee motivation programs in the form of an employee incentive travel program, a vacation to Zimbabwe to see the falls may not be that farfetched. Though monetary bonuses at the end of a year for reaching a quota, or simply for a job well done is pleasing and appealing, more workers are lobbying for and choosing corporate travel incentives over the dollar. Because of the daily grind of a workweek that is repeated fifty-two times each year, hard workers are valuing an expenses paid trip to an incredible destination location over extra money to recuperate, relax and reboot.

While visiting the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, you should partake in the numerous safari excursions offered, some of which include trekking on elephant! You can also enjoy white water rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking, even house boating, to name merely a few of the countless tours and adventures on which you can partake. Naturally, you can stay in one of the fabulous resorts and get in a few rounds of golf, or if you wish to experience more of the outdoors, you can choose to camp or stay in one of the cottages or live-in tiki huts. Clearly, you can expect an incredible vacation that will not only involve viewing one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but countless other fun and exciting activities.

Work hard to ensure you earn your company’s employee incentive travel program so you do not miss the opportunity to travel to a locale as breathtaking as Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Incentive Travel Featured Destination: South Island – New Zealand Region

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Though it might seem like it is worlds away concerning its distance from the United States, New Zealand has become more popular with destination travelers and adventurers who wish to travel the globe. However, when one begins traveling a trip to New Zealand, the monetary aspects of making such a dream vacation work most likely becomes overwhelming. For many, traveling to “the land down under” is not financially feasible. Fortunately, many companies, due to the popularity and employee preference of having a corporate travel incentive program in place rather than accepting a money bonus make traveling to such a faraway land a reality. Employee motivation programs, more likely known as employee incentive programs have grown so popular recently because it takes the groundwork and financial responsibility of coordinating a meticulous trip as it would be to plan a trip to New Zealand. In addition, finding the right time to take off from work, as well as getting enough vacation time can prove difficult, but having your company pay for the entire trip (which often includes spouse and perhaps children) makes it easier.

Therefore, if you are the lucky recipient of an all-expense paid vacation through an employee incentive program, and “down under” is your desired choice, then you must visit the South Island of New Zealand. Though the North Island is more populated and features more city dweller appeal, the South Island is by far the more scenic and adventurous, and it is the larger of the two islands. When we say you can do, quite literally, anything you want outdoors on the South Island, we mean it. The island consists of mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, vineyards, trails, and even Hobbits (well, their homes, at least).  The climate on the South Island is temperate; matching the season you wish to embark on your trip, with only certain areas of the island hitting extreme highs or lows.

Getting back to what one can enjoy on the island, here is a list: skiing, surfing, nature hikes, camping, boating, fishing, any beach activity you can imagine, kayaking, rock climbing, sky diving, wine tasting in vineyards, visiting nature and wild life preserves, walking and/or hiking trails—the list goes on. It would be easier for you to visit South Island, and either explain or make a list of what you could not do while on your sojourn (though we imagine that list would be blank).

South Island, New Zealand is an outdoor adventurer’s dream come true. Take advantage of your company’s corporate travel incentive program, and make your way to the most adventurous place in the world. Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.