The alpha city of Sydney in Australia is a busy metropolis buzzing with numerous global economic activities. To balance the way of life of Sydneysiders, there are many parks and gardens located in the city are where local dwellers and tourists alike can have picnic and relax from the hectic bustle of work.

There are three major botanical gardens in Sydney which can be accessed free of charge on whatever day of the year. One among them is the Royal Botanic Gardens which are located on an location that overlooks Farm Cove. This 30-hectare area is found on the east direction of the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and Macquarie Street. The Southern edge border of the gardens is the Cahill Expressway and on the eastern border is the Art gallery road. This garden has one of the most beautiful settings with large trees and a shade canvass that could serve as a stopover site for eating picnic lunch on the green grass.

Aside from gardens, the city of Sydney also boasts of other prominent parks. One among them is the Hyde Park. This huge park is located on the eastern side of Sydney’s central business district. This park is southernmost part of the parkland chain extending north towards Port Jackson shore. Hyde Park is rectangular-shaped, squared at the southern end and rounded at the northern extremity. Measuring 16 hectares in land area, this park is bordered by Elizabeth St.(west), College St.(east), St. James Road and Prince Albert Road (north) and Liverpool St.(south). The Archibald Fountain is the famed centerpiece of the park. The Nagoya Gardens found at the northern end of the park features a giant outdoor chess set as well as the underground entrance leading to the St. James railway station. While at the southern end can be found the Anzac War memorial at the back of the ‘Lake of Reflections’ and the opening towards the Museum Railway Station. Other amazing monuments and entrances are included as features of the park.

Sydney, Australia is also rich with national parks. Just 20 kilometers north of central Sydney is the Garigal National Park. The park’s name ‘Garigal’ is derived from the clan Ku-ring-gai aboriginal tribe who once lived in that area of the park in the past. This is the largest national park in uptown Sydney that has a land area of 22 square kilometers. This April 19, 1991-established national park is managed by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. The trails found in this park are Cascades Track, Heath Track and Bare Creek Track.

If Garigal is large then the Lane Cove National Park is a small national park that can be found within metro Sydney (10km northwest of Sydney CBD). This 6km2 national park became open to the public on April 24, 1992. On all sides, this national park is surrounded by developed suburban areas. Most of the park’s ground consist of rough landscape especially on the river valley slopes. The park itself is covered by forest with weed swarm. Within the Lane Cove National Park is the Lane Cove River Tourist Park which is also operated by New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.

A quest for the city with the friendliest program for dogs and dog-owners would definitely go hands down to Scottsdale, a mid-sized city in the State of Arizona. Downtown Scottsdale boasts of diverse mix of art galleries, restaurants and museums. However, one of the best attractions offered by Scottsdale is its dog parks projects.

The city of Scottsdale is considered one of the friendliest cities for canines, with off-leash areas in Hayden and McDonald. An off-leash area is a facility which provides interaction and relaxation for both humans and pets. Parks worldwide generally offer the same thing to both pets and pet owners but the difference is that in Scottsdale’s off-leash area, the pets are not con strained by leash.

Thanks to the residents as well as the city government of Scottsdale, dogs are able to exercise and enjoy the park without shackles. The facility is open from early dawn to as late as nine in the evening. It is maintained by the city and a group of people from the community known as Paws in the Parks volunteers.

The off-leash area may just be the sole park area with the most volume of traffic. And why not, when the off-leash facility is ideal for pets as they can play with their owners or passively spend the day with them under the newly installed shades.

The existence of an off-leash facility somewhere in Hayden and McDonald may be good news not only to Scottsdale residents but to all pet lovers worldwide. But this is just starting to get better. Scottsdale actually has three parks that offer off-leash facilities for pets and pet owners. Among these parks are the Chaparral Park between McDonald and Hayden Road, Horizon Park between Thompson Peak and 100th Street and Vista del Camino Park which is located between Roosevelt and Hayden streets.

Of the three Scottsdale parks offering off-leash facilities for pets, Chaparral has perhaps the biggest and most ideal off-leash area. The park boasts of seating areas as well as fountains for pet owners who may get tired after hours of playing with their pets. The off-leash area is so big it has even been divided into an area for active dogs and an area for passive dogs.

The Chaparral Park is not only a good place for pets and pet lovers but for the community members as well. Scottsdale residents can spend hours in the park’s lush greenery and a lake fishing area measuring ten acres. Non-fishing enthusiasts can spend their weekends swimming with their family in the Park’s swimming pool. Resident who want to take it easy can just rest on the field watching kids and adults playing baseball or soccer.

Another Scottsdale Park offering off-leash facilities for pets is the Horizon Park which is big enough at 24 acres. Like Chaparral Park, it also offers a total entertainment package for Scottsdale resident including the off-leash area, softball fields, basketball and volleyball courts, tennis courts and a community center.

Horizon Park has a smaller off Leash Area which measures two thirds of an acre. However, the off-leash fenced area also offers amenities to pets and pet owners like shades and drinking fountains for both pets and their owners. What is exciting about this Park is its dust control equipment.

Almost the same features are offered by Vista del Camino Park which offers a larger off-leash area measuring one half of an acre. It has trees to shade both pets and owners, Park seats and a water fountain for pet dogs. The Park offers a safe off-leash facility for pets with a double gate at the entrance.

With three Parks offering off-leash facilities for pets and sports and relaxation facilities for their owners and residents as well, who can ask for more in Scottsdale?

With millions of people travelling abroad from the UK, via Heathrow airport, the No.1 question on the holidaymakers mind is where to park their car for the duration. After all, you wouldn’t want to pay good money for secure parking only to find out your car hasn’t been parked where you were lead to believe. Scary thought!

Parking at Heathrow can be a real headache for those who are unprepared, but with a little forward planning before your departure, parking your car safely and securely at or around Heathrow needn’t be a chore.

Shopping around for cheap airport parking a few days before you leave can mean more money in your pocket to enjoying on your holiday.

So what are the options for parking your car in or around one of the world’s busiest airports?

Heathrow Hotel with Parking

Personally, I’m a lover of making my holiday that little bit longer by staying in a Heathrow hotel the day before departure. There are many hotels that offer a discounted rate for using their parking facility which means, even staying for 1 night with 15 days parking, can work out cheaper than using car parking companies for just 14 days. Of course, you’ll still have your room to pay for, but it’s well worth leaving a day before, checking into a Heathrow hotel and not worrying about where your car will end up when you’re out the country on holiday.

Plus, knowing that you’re waking up only minutes away from your departure terminal means you’re more refreshed, less stressed and holiday-bound in a more relaxing frame of mind.

Heathrow Long Stay Car Park

Heathrow offers 4 ‘on-airport’ car parks with transfers running every 10 minutes to terminals 1 and 3 (journey time of around 8 – 16 minutes). Terminal 4 transfers come every 12 minutes and take around 4-8 minutes, while transfers to terminal 5 run every 10 minutes with a journey time of only 5 minutes.

Don’t make the mistake of booking on your arrival as this can be quite costly; around £15.00 – £16.00 per day (5 days and over) and £16.00 – £17.00 for 1 – 4 days parking. 14 days parking paid on the day could amount to around £238.00 – while booking online a few days before can save you a whopping £148.00 (around £90.00 for 14 days pre-booked online). This saving alone could easily pay for your hotel room if you do choose to begin your holiday a day early.

Heathrow Park and Ride

This is another option where you drop off your car at a reputable car parking facility somewhere on the outskirts of Heathrow, hand in your keys to the reception and board a transfer bus to your designated terminal. While carrying out a fictitious test in an online booking from with a reputable firm for the dates of August 1st to August 15th 2010, even more savings were found. This worked out at a cost of just over £73.00. Even more money in your pocket to spend on holiday!

Enjoying your holiday abroad is a priority. After all, you deserve it. But paying too much for parking at Heathrow can be avoided with just a little online research, even better when the research has already been carried out for you at our website.

A little note of warning: When booking Heathrow parking online, be sure to check that there are no additional hidden supplements. For instance, while checking out a few companies some stated clearly that the transfer to and from Heathrow airport only included 2 people. So if you’re travelling in a car with 4 adults, anywhere between £7.00 and £12.00 (per additional adult) could be added to your final booking fee.

Do you love spending time in the great outdoors? If you live in the Austin area or if you plan to visit the capital city, you will be glad to know that there are plenty of great places to go camping and to get reacquainted with nature. Here is a look at the top camping spots in the Austin area.

Emma Long Metropolitan Park

The Emma Long Metropolitan Park, which is located along Lake Austin, is one of the largest parks in the area. Some of the amenities found in the park include swimming areas, boat ramps, camping facilities and the Turkey Creek Trail.

Garner State Park

Located in north Uvalde County and along the Frio River, Garner State Park offers dancing, miniature golf, camping and even places to eat. There is always plenty to do for those who visit and stay at Garner.

Pace Bend Park

Located along Lake Travis, Pace Bend Park offers its visitors a variety of activities to select from, including horseback riding and boating. Visitors to the park can camp among the trees, along the beach or even on a cliff. In other words, you select the natural setting you want to enjoy when you stay at Pace Bend Park.

Inks Lake State Park

Inks Lake State Park offers plenty of recreational opportunities, including opportunities for backpacking, camping, golfing, hiking, boating, swimming, fishing and water skiing. Whether you want to be active on the lake or outside of the lake, you will never be bored when staying at Ink Lake.

McKinney Falls State Park

Located in South Austin, McKinney Falls State Park offers screened shelters with electricity, bunk beds and running water.

Guadalupe River State Park

Offering four miles of river frontage and nine-miles of river to park visitors, Guadalupe River offers opportunities for swimming, tubing, boating, horseback riding, hiking and bird watching.

Bastrop State Park

Located just 30 miles southeast of the capital city, the Bastrop Park offers camping opportunities in tents as well as in cabins. Park amenities include a golf course, a swimming pool and hiking trails. Fishing and biking opportunities are also available.

Buescher State Park

Located to the north of Smithville, the Buescher Park offers more than seven miles of trails and plenty of opportunities for wildlife watching.

Windy Point Park

Located just thirty minutes from downtown Austin, Windy Point Park offers primitive, yet clean, camping opportunities. Picnicking and scuba diving are both available in and around the beautiful Lake Travis.

Colorado Bend State Park

Just two hours northwest of the capital, Colorado Bend features amazing cave tours and waterfalls.

This is only a small sampling of the many parks that are located in and around Austin. Simply put, whether you are living in Austin or visiting Austin, you will find plenty of great recreational opportunities to choose from. For those who enjoy an active lifestyle and who like to get closer to nature, visiting any of these ten parks will help you make it happen.