Travel Tips

While the Aspen Recreation Center closes just before 9pm, there is quite a bit of enjoyment to be had here after a day on the slopes. If you get there right after leaving the slopes, and eat a late dinner after the center closes you will have plenty of time to enjoy what the ARC has to offer.

The climbing walls at the center are the biggest attraction. The ARC features approximately 3100 feet of climbing walls for your enjoyment. There is also a 3-D climbing tower with more than 25 routes and four auto belays.

Another nice feature at the Aspen Recreation Center is the pool area. The James E. Moore Pool area features two pools. One pool is 25 yards in length and features six lanes, while the other pool is for recreation and has a two story slide, a lazy river, and spray features. You will also find a dry sauna, a steam room, and hot tubs in the pool area.

The Lewis Ice Arena is also located at the Aspen Recreation Center. Completed in the Spring of 2003, the arena features an NHL regulation size skating surface, grandstand seating for 450, a skate shop, locker rooms, and shower rooms. Public skating, skating lessons, figure skating, youth and adult hockey, and skating shows are available. You can also host private parties at the arena. High altitude training is also offered here.

You will also find cardio and weight rooms at the center, and many fitness classes are also offered. The Aspen Recreation Center hosts many off-site activities in the Aspen area as well, such as golf, tennis, climbing, aquatics, sailing, skateboarding, ceramics classes, baseball, softball, soccer, hockey, and various camps.

Babysitting services are available at the center as well. This place is a great way to wrap up a day of activity and wind down before your evening meal. Again, the Aspen Recreation Center closes just before 9pm, so make sure you head there right after leaving the slopes for the day.

Admission for guests is $13 for youths and $15 for adults. Admission includes access to the climbing towers, swimming pool area, ice skating rink, weight room, cardio room, adult fitness classes, water aerobics, climbing wall and playhouse, and tennis courts. The Aspen Recreation Center is a great place for every member of the family. Call ahead to find out about any planned events that are going on for even more entertainment options.

The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect place for a getaway. The islands offer a wide variety of activities, such as surfing, swimming snorkeling, and land activities such as island hopping. This is a must if visiting Hawaii. Each island is unique in its own way and has something special to offer. The island of Molokai is known as the mysterious island.

Molokai is the least developed of all of the islands. This is the perfect place to relax and the best chance to have an authentic Hawaiian experience. Getting around on the island of Molokai can be difficult due to lack of modernization. If you rent a car, it should be one with four-wheel drive. Or perhaps you could rent a mountain bike; this would allow you get to some remote locations not available to you by car. There are two shops on the island that rent bikes, Molokai Outdoor Activities and Molokai Bicycle.

There are two ways to get to the island. You can travel to Molokai by boat or by plane. The airport is small and you must fly in from a larger island such as Oahu or Maui. The island is most easily accessible by boat. If you can’t stay for a long time, you could take a day trip from Maui. You won’t be disappointed.

The most popular beach is known as twenty mile beach. It has a barrier reef, which makes for a great snorkeling opportunity. The beach is located near the 20-mile marker of the main highway.

There are two ranches on Molokai. They make for a great horseback riding experience. The ranches offer guided trail tours through the valley. Another popular activity of the island of Molokai is mule riding. You can ride mules through the valley and trails. The tours are available through a company called Molokai Mule Rides.

Hiking is a popular pastime in Molokai. The most visited trail is the mule trail to the Kalaupapa Peninsula, which is complete with breathtaking views and awe inspiring landscaping. The Nature Conservatory at Kamakou Preserve has unique guided tours. These tours are only available a couple of times a month, so it’s a good idea to make reservations and check with the conservatory before arriving in Molokai This preserve boasts almost 3000 acres of native ecosystems including a cloud forest and habitats for many endangered plants and animals. Along the hike you will see cliffs and valleys alike.

What Hawaiian island would be complete without a golf course? Molokai has two. The Ironwood Hills Golf Club was originally built by Del Monte for its employees. The club is a very casual fun environment. The Kaluakoi Golf Course is located in a resort condominium community. This resort community has been limited by something called the Molokai plan. The plan is an agreement between lawmakers and locals to keep the island from becoming over developed. This plan has allowed the island and its inhabitants to keep their rural lifestyle. In fact, fishing, hunting, and ranching are still among the islands top professions of choice.

Tags: golf, Hawaii, Ironwood Hills Golf Club, Kalaupapa Peninsula, Kaluakoi Golf Course, Molokai, Monte, Nature Conservatory, surfing

One of the things that makes business travel appealing is the fact that your company covers your expenses with your expense account. Since you are on bona fide business for the sake of your business, being reimbursed for the costs of the trip is routine in the business world. Now we dont want to abuse the expense account but if you live in a reasonable fashion on the road, you can get reimbursement for most expenses of the trip.

But problem about getting reimbursed for your business travel expenses is that you have to file a report when you get back. While it seems like a nuisance, you cannot expect the company to reimburse you for expenses if you dont know what they are. But this calls for a certain amount of discipline on the road so you have some documentation as you travel that you can use to compile that expense report when you return. There are some things you can do to make this process of managing that expense report less of a headache.

For starters, before you leave, make sure you are very aware of the companys expense policy and what is covered and what is not. Some companies use a per diem system which means that the company may allocate you a set amount each day for room and board and anything you spend above that is an expense you will cover. If your company uses the per diem system, make sure you know it well so you know what you can expense before you run up the charge.

Keeping track of businesses expenses on a busy trip may become a nuisance as you travel. But you dont want to get home and not be able to document the trip. The good news is there are some simple systems you can put in place that dont take a lot of your time but will make keeping those business expenses tracked and ready to report for reimbursement when you return. They include

Use Credit. Your credit card statement can be a running tale of the trip that can serve as emergency backup should you need it.

Receipt retention. It is easy to lose receipts if you put them in pockets with other documents or let them float loose in your briefcase. Maintain a daily envelope that you religiously put receipts into as soon as you get them. That can ride comfortably in the inside pocket of your jacket or in your briefcase so you know you have that record of your spending.

A running log. Even if you keep receipts, you can get home and find the task of sorting through them and trying to remember details about that expense can be a challenge. Make it a daily practice to sit down at night with a small notebook and go through your receipts and make a ledger of what you spent that day and on what.

For when you dont get a receipt. Carry a pocket notebook and jot down when you spend cash or dont get a receipt for an expense. Tips or snacks needed to get through the day should be recorded in this way.

Lock those receipts down. Just as you kept your receipts secure during the day, put them someplace secure at night so they will be locked down until you return. Sealed envelopes work well for this purpose.

If you want to take the system to the next level, you can actually bring an expense report form with you and fill it out each day as you go. Then when the trip is over, you just sign it, bundle up the receipts and submit it to accounting. For an even more secure method, you can use Microsoft Excel on your laptop or a digital version of your company expense report to update each night as you move your receipts to storage for the rest of the trip.

The important thing is to develop a system that works for you without fail as you travel. Then make your dedication to that system a priority as you travel. Putting some thought and effort into managing the expenses of your trip will save you a lot of headache when you get home and help you enjoy that expense account and your business trip as well.

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Tags: business travel appealing, business travel expenses, Microsoft