Mont Tremblant Ski Resort - 9 Sure-fire Ways to Save Money On Accommodation, Lift Tickets and More
Officially inaugurated
in 1938, Mont Tremblant
is a unique gem among
Canadas eastern ski resorts.
For many people though, unique also means expensive.
Its
true, there
may be
some truth in this instance. Mont Tremblant actually translates to Trembling Mountain, which may relate to the trembling of the tourists once they tally up their
expenses and witness their quickly shrinking budget.
Yet fear not. Ive collected
a number of practical tips to help
you save money
on your Mont Tremblant accommodation, activities, lift tickets,
and more.
Tip #1 The Early Bird Gets The Mont Tremblant Accommodation Savings
If you know exactly when youre
like to have
your vacation,
booking in
advance often means increased savings.
If youre flying, try to leave
avoid leaving on the weekends, and instead try the cheaper middle of the week
departures. Reserving
accommodation in advance can also allow for negotiating cheaper
nightly rates, especially if youre flexible
by even
a few days.
Tip #2
- Avoid Hotels & Book Your Mont Tremblant Condo Directly
with Homeowners
Booking your Mont Tremblant accommodation directly
with homeowners and independent companies saves you money by avoiding swarms of middle agent fees. Most owners also do not charge the non-refundable 10% hotel tax, and prices are quoted for up to the maximum sleeping capacity of the
property, not per person. Plus, many owners offer free parking, whereas most rental managers and hotels have additional nightly parking fees.
Tip #3 Invite Your Friends And Share The Cost
When searching for your Mont Tremblant accommodation, check out the larger properties and consider inviting a few friends or even another family! When booking a bigger property, adding an extra two people could save you a few hundred dollars by our the cost.
Tip #4 -
Buy Your Food Outside the Village
In that last
stretch of the trip, most visitors to Mont Tremblant prefer to check into their accommodation rather
than go preemptive shopping for
groceries, where they get nailed with price markups at the local village food store. Instead, shop at a grocery store just off Highway 117 as you approach the resort, which
offers more selection and
lower prices than within the Mont Tremblant village.
Tip #5 - Secure Your Rental Gear and Avoid Being A Statistic
This is a more preventative measure than a money saving tip. Sadly, like every other resort, ski and snowboard theft is a possibility in Mont Tremblant. Lock up your gear with the lock plugs sold in every Mont Tremblant shop. The resort provides racks all over the mountain for you to
secure your rental gear.
Tip #6 - Use the
ATMs and Avoid the Banks
Short on cold, hard
cash? There are a number of reasons to avoid the banks when you need to withdraw your money. For
starters, most banks charge a $5 transaction fee for currency exchanges. And while its possible to
exchange foreign currency at shops, restaurants, and hotels, the exchange rate is often much lower than simply
using the ATM.
Tip #7 - Dont Buy Stuff In The Village
Strolling through Mont Tremblants Pedestrian Village is great for people watching and window shopping, as the actual prices can be quite
high. A
3% resort tax is also added to your purchases at the checkout, further inducing wallet trauma. If you spy an item that activates your must-have meter, its possible the same item may be available back in Montreal or at another outlet on your way home.
Tip #8 - Look For Promotions In Tourist Brochures & Flyers
The local tourist brochures, newspapers, and flyers are a great place to scour for discount coupons and deals. These coupons may only save a few dollars
here and there, but it definitely adds up when spread over a few days and combined with all the other expenses that accompany a memorable Mont Tremblant vacation.
Tip #9 - Discount Lift Tickets for Teens/College Students
A little known Mont Tremblant secret is the discount offered to
young teens and post-secondary students. For some reason, Mont Tremblant doesnt apply much effort publicizing
these deals. Instead, be prepared at the lift ticket window with ID cards showing your teens eligibility, and the same if youre a college or university student. Otherwise youre likely to end up paying for full adult tickets
Devon O Malley is a staff writer for
http://AlluraDirect.com, a vacation rental website offering powerful search and instant booking features for owners and guests alike. On your next Mont Tremblant vacation, check out their Mont Tremblant accommodation directory and save money by booking your Mont Tremblant condos directly with homeowners.
Dog Agility Equipment - Free Play Or Competition?
There are
five factors
to consider before you and your
dog decide which
agility direction you want to focus on. First, there is fun with your dog at home . Second, there is competiton where many people
have that "gotta win" inside their
bodies (and I'm one
of them!). Third, you will need to find out if you and your dog
just want to have some fun and exercise at
a club for a social and competitive outing. Fourth, there are pros and cons with running
through the dog agility equipment for fun or competition. And lastly, make a decision and stick with it.
I've had people come to me and say their dog can jump high, is full
of energy, has a hunger to run and jump, etc. But that does not mean all dog trainers and their dogs will want to compete
in the agility sport ring. You might get the impression your dog just wants to have some fun, so make an effort to set up an agility
course in your backyard, or get together with a small group. I am not suggesting to set up a whole agility course, we know
its costly and takes up a lot of space, and we know
most of your backyards will not
be able to fit all equipment. Instead, set up a few obstacles such as some jumps and weaves, make up your own course. Or just have your dog do most of the exercise jumping
over bars and chasing a ball or frisbee. You might want to get involved in social activities such as dog or breed clubs. There are a lot of clubs just starting agility, or just getting together to have some fun and to socialize, a healthy atmosphere to gather around dogs. Even clubs that have a competitive group also welcome newcomers to join a beginners class.
To train and prepare your dog for competition takes time, patience, and more patience. Converting from the fun atmosphere in your backyard or club to the competition level changes your spontaneous free
play to planned training sessions and goals of putting in more training time.
Training for competition requires lots of teamwork. You and your dog need to know each other well, trust each other, and find your weaknesses and strengths in both of you. To be successful in competition, your dog must have a "clean run", meaning no bars knocked down, making the contacts, running
on course, and making the time. Gee, that's a huge challenge to do all that in one run. This does require training specific behaviors for each obstacle. You need to ask yourself "are we willing and capable of working hard?" If that's what you want and your dog is able, then get start with simple training methods, do one thing at a time, until both of you can move on to the next harder method of training. Competition on Animal Planets channel on TV as well as games such as Great Outdoors on ESPN looks so easy for the handlers and their dog running the agility course. Don't forget the fact that it took most of them 3-5 years to reach that level, or more.
If you can't decide which direction to go, free play or competition, let your dog do the speaking. Play with your dog, throw a frisbee, ball, play tug o war, take up obedience training, give yourself some time, maybe 2-4 months. That will give you a better idea what your dog enjoys. Making a decision on either free play or competition, there is no right or wrong answer. Every dog owner and their dog will make an agreement or pact on what
kind of activity they choose. However, one needs to observe carefully the talents, limitations, and desire each dog has. For instance, a border collie that loves to run and jump all over the agility equipment, but is asked to do training for obedience, which requires lots of sits, stays, gos, and comes, may find it difficult to be still The bottom line is to find out what makes your dog happy and how you can have a good time with your dog. Do not force your dog to run in the agility ring when it wants to just stay at home, or do not force it to stay at home where it wants to get out and go.
There are some pros and cons with free play
vs. competition agility. The good part about free play training is that there is no pressure to perform the best whereas competition requires no mistakes in the ring to be successful. Free play training is also less costly vs. competition. In competition, the equipment must meet the organizations standard requirements. Most competition agility equipment must be made from metal, which is expensive to purchase. Agility clubs have their own facility to train, but it will
cost to practice or train at their club. Some clubs will charge a member monthly fee, or pay as you run the course or by time.
Don't wait until your dog gets too old to even walk anymore. Make a decision which way you want to go. You might want to wait up to 5 years of your dogs life before deciding to continue have free play agility and let you dog be a dog, or get into the competion
mode. Remember no matter what kind of dog you have, it takes hours, months, and even years to train for competiion. Unless your dog tells you playing with balls and frisbees is good enough for dog life. You might make the wrong decision, but its never a bad one if you keep them both fun for the dog. And your dog probably don't give a hoot what you decide!
Brad Carlson is a dog trainer at Agility by Carlson. For more training details, visit our website at
http://www.carlson-agility.com/
The Easy Way To Making Money Online
Most people thinking working hard
and long hours are
the key to making
tons of money. Well sure for some of
them, but for
most people we dont
want to
work hard
and long hours
only to
make and average income.
People today want to
spend extra time at home, and
still make that above average income. Well now
you can do that working online.
I am sure
if you do
a simple search for
work at home you
will find many businesss trying to sell you on there junk home
business programs.
You might have even
already bought into a
few of them. The truth is there is no
program out there that you just hit a button, and the
money begins to roll in. The way people make money online is investing. You make
money, and invest into other
things to make
more money. And if one program goes under you have others to
rely on still.
The
mazu business pack is a program that teaches you how to make money investing into sports
arbitrage trading. You can
learn how to make up to
15% a
month on
any investment into the trading pool, or you can make
1% to 3% daily trading and investing on
your own.
Investment is
key in making money. You work less, and this allows you to
put more time into other things in your life. Like I
always say. Its better to work
smarter not harder.
If you are someone that is serious about making money online, and
would like to learn more about how you can do just that visit
http://www.businessprogramsreviewed.comChris Rohrer
The World's Smallest Dog - the Chihuahua
The Chihuahua is
the world's smallest
dog and it has
been an extremely popular dog
breed in the United States
and around
the world. This long-lived
breed has a life expectancy well into
the mid-teens. Chihuahuas or Chis have grown
in popularity over
the past several decades from an American Kennel
Club (AKC) registration ranking
of 16th
in the early 90's to 10th
in 2004 and 11th
in 2005.
The Taco Bell Chihuahua promotion introduced
in 1997 fueled
some of the popularity growth. The
tiny Chihuahua can weigh from 2 to 6 pounds and can have a
smooth coat or a long coat
with feathered ears, neck, feet, legs and tail. Chis are adorable
dogs with big eyes and ears but aren't a dog
for everyone. If you have young children or other pets then the Chihuahua isn't a good fit for your situation. Chis are
much too small to be safe around young children or toddlers and while
they enjoy being around other Chihuahuas, they dislike all other breeds. Chihuahuas are the ultimate apartment dog and do really well with a single individual or elderly couple that likes to pamper these small toy dogs. Chis are completely devoted to their owners and love to be with them all the time. The tiny Chihuahua is graceful, lively, curious, intelligent, loyal and affectionate but has some terrier-like qualities. Chis are fearless, saucy, mischievous and bold and make good watchdogs. Additional information can be found in the Chihuahua dog breed article.
The Chihuahua is considered to be one of the few dog breeds indigenous or
native to North America. Much of the Chis history is somewhat speculative but most experts think the breed descended from the Techichi. The Techichi was a small canine that existed in Mayan times around the 5th century AD. They think the Olmecs of Central America developed the Techichi breed. The Toltecs who succeeded the Olmecs in the 9th century AD carved small
dogs with erect ears resembling plump Chihuahuas. These Techichis may have been raised
as pets but they
were definitely used as a food source for the nobility on special occasions. After the Aztecs conquered the Toltecs, they used the Techichi in religious ceremonies as food sources and sacrifices. The Aztecs also regularly burned these dogs along with the deceased in the belief that the sins of the humans would be transferred to the dogs and the dog would help guide the soul between
this world and the next. Techichi remains have been found buried with human remains all across Mexico.
When the
Spanish conquered and destroyed the Aztec civilization from 1519 to 1521, they may have introduced a small
terrier breed that was crossed with the Techichi. Some breed historians think that the Chihuahua is actually of European descent and originated in Malta. They offer as proof a 1482 painting by Botticelli which
depicts a
Chihuahua-like dog. They theorize that the Spanish conquerors brought these small dogs with them to the Americas. A third theory is that the Chinese, who were adept at developing miniature dogs, developed a Chihuahua-like breed which Spanish traders introduced into Mexico.
Whatever theory is correct, the resulting breeds were left to survive in the mountains of Mexico - maybe with help from the
local population. Nothing much was heard from these small dogs for about 300 years until 1850 when several small dogs - some long haired, some short haired and some larger
hairless were discovered in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua. The smooth coat and long coat varieties were eventually called Chihuahuas after the state in which they were found and the larger hairless variety was called the Mexican Hairless. The Chihuahua breed was first registered by the AKC in 1904 and it was relatively rare. The national Chihuahua breed club was formed in 1923 and the breed received wide exposure when Xavier
Cugat, the rumba king, appeared with his Chihuahuas in performances and movies during the 1930's and 40's. The Chis' popularity peaked in 1964 when it was the 3rd most popular dog breed in the US. The breed's popularity resulted in unscrupulous breeders and dealers introducing a number of health and temperament problems into the bloodlines. Genetic problems ranged from
patellar luxation (slipped kneecap), heart disease (pulmonic stenosis), hypoglycemia, and
tracheal collapse to poor temperament. Recent breeding practices are resulting in much healthier and more amiable amigos. However
any prospective buyer should check to make sure that the puppy's breeding parents have been certified
free of orthopedic and other genetic diseases.
Anne
Kirrin writes articles about small dog breeds' health, training and grooming issues and she is an editor for the popular
http://www.all-small-dog-breeds.com.
Start A Prosperous Specialty Shih Tzu Grooming Shop
Cost of investment:
The major elements involved in setting
up a
Shih Tzu Groom Shop are:
1. Rent
and security deposits.
2. Renovation
3. Tools
and equipment
4. Furniture and fixtures
5. Legal fees
6. Insurance
7. Advertising
8. Supplies
9. Cash reserve
The
cost will depend upon
your location and the
materials you start
out with. You can estimate
at least $10,000
to start
your Specialty Shih Tzu Grooming Shop.
Rent: Will vary according to the specific location. Rent in a major metropolitan center will be greater than in a
rural area. A landlord will usually demand a security deposit in advance or with your first months rent. In addition, there will likely be deposits required for utilities.
Renovation: Is dependent upon the Shih Tzu Groom shops condition and your desire to alter or design the shop.
Tools and equipment: A basic assortment of clippers, blades, scissors, shampoos, brushes, combs, cosmetics for your Shih Tzu Groom Shop will
cost at a minimum of $400. Heavy equipment such as dryers, cages and tables fitted with groom loops will cost at a minimum of $2,000.
Legal fees: If you choose a lawyer to negotiate a lease on the most
favorable terms for your Shih Tzu Groom
Shop, his or her services can cost more than $300.00. The investment may be well worth it, however, if you
are unable to negotiate a favorable lease term yourself.
Insurance: Is a must have item.
Advertising: Before opening the doors to your Shih Tzu Groom Shop, you will want to advertise and promote the shop as
quickly as possible. Ways of advertising
could be through the Yellow Pages, newspapers, direct mail and flyers, at vet offices, pet supply warehouses and the internet. One page websites on the internet describing your business with e-mail and telephone numbers would be quite helpful. You would need to market and promote your website as well.
Supplies:
Pet supplies such as designer pet clothing, shampoos, crme rinses, toys and treats, even a pet food distributorship such as HealthyPetNet Lifes Abundance could become quite prosperous in a busy Shih Tzu Grooming Shop. The possibilities for retailing pet supplies in a Shih Tzu Grooming Shop are endless.
Reserve cash: You will of course need to start out with a fair amount of reserve cash in your Shih Tzu Grooming Shop.
This article is FREE to
publish with resource box.
Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. Purchase Shih Tzu puppies and sign up for FREE Shih Tzu newsletters
at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com Pet care article collection
http://smalldogs2.com/ShihTzuCastle Visit
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