Tips on Driving in Florida
The following is by no means a comprehensive guide to the rules and regulations on driving in Florida. But is more of a personal recollection of my experiences during the many times I have driven in Sunshine State.
For some of you this maybe your first go at driving in the USA. Maybe you're concerned at how you will manage driving on the right hand side of the road.
What about junctions! Traffic lights! Toll roads! Overtaking on both sides!
How will I manage?
Firstly do a bit of research, your reading this so you've already started.
On the Flight
I have found that most of the airlines that I have flown with give a short video presentation on driving in Florida during the flight, take the time out and give it your full attention. I found this most useful especially on my first trip. It is also good as it gives you up to date information.
At the Rental Car Park
My first recommendation is familiarisation of your rental vehicle.
Walk around your rental vehicle and get to grips with its size.
Read the vehicle user manual to find out about the air con / demisting, the indicators, the window wipers and lights. Better to take the time and get to know how it all works before you set off on your journey. You will have enough to concentrate on without trying to find out how to turn on the wipers when it starts to rain.
Look at your map and plan your route before you start your journey. Most holiday home owners will give you a detailed route plan from the airport to their rental property. If not then I found the rental company personnel were very helpful if you asked for a route plan to your rental area.
On the road
When you start your journey please pay attention to all traffic signs and note that the speed limits are lower in Florida than in the UK. When driving on the interstate traffic will pass you on both sides so pay attention to your mirrors and always check before moving lanes.
Road signs for turn offs are displayed well in advance so you shouldn't be caught short and miss your turn off.
Toll roads are normally a bit quieter than the Interstate so if you're travelling from Sanford Airport to Orlando, I would recommend the SR 417 toll road.
Toll booths are clearly signed and sectioned into lanes for pass holders, exact change and change given. Most of the main toll booths are manned but exact change is required for some of the booths that exit the SR 417 as you near Orlando.
Driving in Orlando is very straight forward. Junctions are clearly marked with guide lines painted on the road, making left and right turns easy.
Traffic signals are suspended above you. Be aware that signal changes are very quick so be ready to stop if required.
Road signs are also suspended above you as you drive along the road. The signs are not the road you are on but the road that you are crossing.
The best advice I can give is to take your time and think before you proceed.
If you rush you will make a mistake. Nipping out into that small gap will lose your concentration and making that wrong turning will have happened before you know it.
Best Advice
Enjoy your driving.
Travel throughout the state and see all that Florida has to offer, not just the theme parks.
But most of all stay safe and have an enjoyable and memorable holiday.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Florida Americas Sunshine State
Florida Americas Sunshine State
Famous for its vast selection of theme parks Orlando is a favourite holiday destination for families from all over the world. Walt Disney World was key to the initial success of this area and continues to be one of the biggest attractions in the Orlando area. With Four Theme Parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom and water parks Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon.
Neighbouring parks include Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World all well worth a visit and have really up the stakes for Disney over the years.But Orlando is not just about Disney World, Universal or Sea World great as they are.
There is a vast array of other things to do in and around Orlando.Air boat rides where you can see the Florida wildlife up close.Some of the best golf courses right on your doorstep. Many of the villas listed on What Florida Villa are located on or very near a golf course. Picture it! Breakfast in the sun, a round of golf, back to the villa, some lunch followed by a splash in the pool and then back on the golf course….. bliss.
Shopping! well yes, Orlando has some fantastic outlets and shopping malls too many to list but all within easy reach of your holiday villa. Most of our villa owners will have information and guide packs with details of shopping malls local to your villa. Community resort offices also stock a variety of information leaflets as well so information is never far away.
One of my favourite non theme park attractions is Fantasy of Flight. Just a short drive from Orlando in Polk City. Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has a large collection of vintage aircraft on display and also has a flying display of one of his historic aircraft on most days. Aircraft from the first and second world wars as well as other famous and rare types. There is a guided tour of the restoration facilities with some famous aircraft from the movies as well. There are simulators and excellent interactive display of world war two including mock trenches and walk through B25 bomber. With an excellent restaurant on site and aviation gift shop as well.
Traveling out further from Orlando about one hour 30 minute drive you will reach Kennedy Space Center Florida Space Port. If your lucky enough you may even witness a shuttle or rocket launch.Kennedy Space Center is steeped in history. There are coach tours that are run by the space center and travel to the historic launch pads of the early moon launches at Cape Canaveral. There is the close up tour which is a bit more expensive but gets you as close to the shuttle launch pad as possible. The tours are very informative and allow access to viewing areas for the International Space Station assembly bays as well as the Apollo mission control room. A talk from astronauts about their experiences of space flights happens on most days and you are free to ask questions as well.
Further on from Kennedy Space Center is Daytona. Famous for its long beach and Raceway.Planning ahead you may even catch a race!
Famous for its vast selection of theme parks Orlando is a favourite holiday destination for families from all over the world. Walt Disney World was key to the initial success of this area and continues to be one of the biggest attractions in the Orlando area. With Four Theme Parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom and water parks Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon.
Neighbouring parks include Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World all well worth a visit and have really up the stakes for Disney over the years.But Orlando is not just about Disney World, Universal or Sea World great as they are.
There is a vast array of other things to do in and around Orlando.Air boat rides where you can see the Florida wildlife up close.Some of the best golf courses right on your doorstep. Many of the villas listed on What Florida Villa are located on or very near a golf course. Picture it! Breakfast in the sun, a round of golf, back to the villa, some lunch followed by a splash in the pool and then back on the golf course….. bliss.
Shopping! well yes, Orlando has some fantastic outlets and shopping malls too many to list but all within easy reach of your holiday villa. Most of our villa owners will have information and guide packs with details of shopping malls local to your villa. Community resort offices also stock a variety of information leaflets as well so information is never far away.
One of my favourite non theme park attractions is Fantasy of Flight. Just a short drive from Orlando in Polk City. Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has a large collection of vintage aircraft on display and also has a flying display of one of his historic aircraft on most days. Aircraft from the first and second world wars as well as other famous and rare types. There is a guided tour of the restoration facilities with some famous aircraft from the movies as well. There are simulators and excellent interactive display of world war two including mock trenches and walk through B25 bomber. With an excellent restaurant on site and aviation gift shop as well.
Traveling out further from Orlando about one hour 30 minute drive you will reach Kennedy Space Center Florida Space Port. If your lucky enough you may even witness a shuttle or rocket launch.Kennedy Space Center is steeped in history. There are coach tours that are run by the space center and travel to the historic launch pads of the early moon launches at Cape Canaveral. There is the close up tour which is a bit more expensive but gets you as close to the shuttle launch pad as possible. The tours are very informative and allow access to viewing areas for the International Space Station assembly bays as well as the Apollo mission control room. A talk from astronauts about their experiences of space flights happens on most days and you are free to ask questions as well.
Further on from Kennedy Space Center is Daytona. Famous for its long beach and Raceway.Planning ahead you may even catch a race!
Monday, April 7, 2008
A FIRST VISIT TO FLORIDA
A personal experience of a first visit to Florida.
It was my first visit to Florida. The year was 1971.
However it was not by air that I arrived in the Sunshine State.
It was summer and as a student in Edinburgh it was time to flex my wings before my second year. I applied to work at Camp America and found I had been placed in Massachusetts in the Berkshire mountains.
The children all came from New York and its environs and all were Jewish children. Steve Rubin, son of the camp owner, was an English language Professor at Tampa University in Florida and he had arranged for many Floridian students to go to his father's camp at Pittsfield Massachusetts. So it was at Camp Onota I was placed for eight weeks in the summers of 1971 and 1972, the latter being the summer of the Munch Olympic Games and its terrorist attack on the Israeli team.
At camp were the two Floridian blond Booth brothers as fellow camp councillors. Bob had enrolled in the US Navy at Pensacola in the coming September, his way to avoid the draft to serve as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Jim on the other hand was only sixteen years of age and at that time was a legal car driver in Florida but not New York State nor Massachusetts.
With two weeks to explore the USA before returning to Scotland I had been invited to drive down with the Booth boys and stay at their lake side family home near Orlando.
It was a holiday I could not refuse.
Grandparents visited their Onotans mid-stay, as parents had often flown off to see Europe, and generously gave us monetary gifts to ensure we looked after the children! So armed with $880 (1971 rates) we departed enjoying a final gathering in NYC with around ten councillors. We enjoyed an Italian meal at Mama Leone's, which has since closed. On a recent visit to NYC, I learned it had been run by the Mafia! Not knowing that at the time we set off immediately after the meal at which a violinist played to our table- ahhhh how we lived it up as students!
As we drove south I noticed a field beneath the road and I could not help but comment. "Ah, I see you have Ayrshire cows." Jim was quick to reply. " Hey, you got them in Scotland too?" After further stops at Petersburg in Virginia I noticed the warmth rise yet again but it was a very humid warmth in Savannah. At dawn we crossed into Florida slightly north of Jacksonville and we hugged the coast down to Daytona Beach before heading inland to Golden Rod where the Booth family home was situated.
A typically warm southern welcome greeted me and I was shown to my room. I was particularly intrigued by the contents of the bedside table. No not a Gideon's Bible but a hand gun! I was told to use it if anyone strayed into the room at right through the window. No, it was not likely, but it is an American's right to hold a gun licence and that is their deterrent of choice.
The lawn sloped down to Golden Rod Lake where Jim was quick to launch his speed boat and Bob showed me a few water skiing skills. Within the week I was crossing the wake on one foot , spinning round and leaping what I thought were logs but turned out to be baby alligators. Of course I began with a few falls but the warmth of the water was so inviting.
One afternoon in such glorious heat and warmth in the lake, I noticed a darkening sky. Within a few minutes, the temperature dropped and we made safe all the paraphernalia of the beach garden and craft. Then without warning the most torrential thunder and lightening struck and columns of torrential rain fell for a full twelve minutes. The temperature dropped around 15 degrees and we donned erstwhile redundant jumpers. Yet some twenty minutes later the storm had abated, the sun was out again and the tropical downpour was over. How I wished we had days like that at home.
The following day, a neighbour on hearing a Scot had arrived at the Booths, invited me into his three seater aeroplane and we saw Cape Canaveral (Now Cape Kennedy) on the west coast, drifted down Daytona beach to West Palm Beach and the Florida Keys. We landed in the Everglades to visit gardens and had lunch there before setting off again over Charlotte Harbor and Tampa before returning to Golden Rod.
Before too long it was time to return home and a train from Orlando took me to Washington DC from where our Camp America students assembled with tales to tell since our arrival in America some two months previously.
That was not quite the end of the Floridian story however.
One evening Mrs Booth showed me some of her family photographs. Her grandmother, who had died a few years before, was a Scot from Bridge of Weir. I told her that was not far from where I lived and I would go there, take some photographs and send them on to her. Armed with the family name of Russell I made my mission clear to those of that surname in the Renfrewshire village. One turned out to be a relative. They started to correspond.
That visit to Florida was thirty seven years ago. There have been many changes in Florida since making it everyone's favourite holiday destination every month of the year. But the hospitality, the kindness of the people and the climate remain constant. They await your experiences.
Stay in a Luxury Florida villa during your visit.
This blog was written by
Miller Caldwell
Author and Film Script Writer
Why not place a book in your luggage for the holiday?
It was my first visit to Florida. The year was 1971.
However it was not by air that I arrived in the Sunshine State.
It was summer and as a student in Edinburgh it was time to flex my wings before my second year. I applied to work at Camp America and found I had been placed in Massachusetts in the Berkshire mountains.
The children all came from New York and its environs and all were Jewish children. Steve Rubin, son of the camp owner, was an English language Professor at Tampa University in Florida and he had arranged for many Floridian students to go to his father's camp at Pittsfield Massachusetts. So it was at Camp Onota I was placed for eight weeks in the summers of 1971 and 1972, the latter being the summer of the Munch Olympic Games and its terrorist attack on the Israeli team.
At camp were the two Floridian blond Booth brothers as fellow camp councillors. Bob had enrolled in the US Navy at Pensacola in the coming September, his way to avoid the draft to serve as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Jim on the other hand was only sixteen years of age and at that time was a legal car driver in Florida but not New York State nor Massachusetts.
With two weeks to explore the USA before returning to Scotland I had been invited to drive down with the Booth boys and stay at their lake side family home near Orlando.
It was a holiday I could not refuse.
Grandparents visited their Onotans mid-stay, as parents had often flown off to see Europe, and generously gave us monetary gifts to ensure we looked after the children! So armed with $880 (1971 rates) we departed enjoying a final gathering in NYC with around ten councillors. We enjoyed an Italian meal at Mama Leone's, which has since closed. On a recent visit to NYC, I learned it had been run by the Mafia! Not knowing that at the time we set off immediately after the meal at which a violinist played to our table- ahhhh how we lived it up as students!
As we drove south I noticed a field beneath the road and I could not help but comment. "Ah, I see you have Ayrshire cows." Jim was quick to reply. " Hey, you got them in Scotland too?" After further stops at Petersburg in Virginia I noticed the warmth rise yet again but it was a very humid warmth in Savannah. At dawn we crossed into Florida slightly north of Jacksonville and we hugged the coast down to Daytona Beach before heading inland to Golden Rod where the Booth family home was situated.
A typically warm southern welcome greeted me and I was shown to my room. I was particularly intrigued by the contents of the bedside table. No not a Gideon's Bible but a hand gun! I was told to use it if anyone strayed into the room at right through the window. No, it was not likely, but it is an American's right to hold a gun licence and that is their deterrent of choice.
The lawn sloped down to Golden Rod Lake where Jim was quick to launch his speed boat and Bob showed me a few water skiing skills. Within the week I was crossing the wake on one foot , spinning round and leaping what I thought were logs but turned out to be baby alligators. Of course I began with a few falls but the warmth of the water was so inviting.
One afternoon in such glorious heat and warmth in the lake, I noticed a darkening sky. Within a few minutes, the temperature dropped and we made safe all the paraphernalia of the beach garden and craft. Then without warning the most torrential thunder and lightening struck and columns of torrential rain fell for a full twelve minutes. The temperature dropped around 15 degrees and we donned erstwhile redundant jumpers. Yet some twenty minutes later the storm had abated, the sun was out again and the tropical downpour was over. How I wished we had days like that at home.
The following day, a neighbour on hearing a Scot had arrived at the Booths, invited me into his three seater aeroplane and we saw Cape Canaveral (Now Cape Kennedy) on the west coast, drifted down Daytona beach to West Palm Beach and the Florida Keys. We landed in the Everglades to visit gardens and had lunch there before setting off again over Charlotte Harbor and Tampa before returning to Golden Rod.
Before too long it was time to return home and a train from Orlando took me to Washington DC from where our Camp America students assembled with tales to tell since our arrival in America some two months previously.
That was not quite the end of the Floridian story however.
One evening Mrs Booth showed me some of her family photographs. Her grandmother, who had died a few years before, was a Scot from Bridge of Weir. I told her that was not far from where I lived and I would go there, take some photographs and send them on to her. Armed with the family name of Russell I made my mission clear to those of that surname in the Renfrewshire village. One turned out to be a relative. They started to correspond.
That visit to Florida was thirty seven years ago. There have been many changes in Florida since making it everyone's favourite holiday destination every month of the year. But the hospitality, the kindness of the people and the climate remain constant. They await your experiences.
Stay in a Luxury Florida villa during your visit.
This blog was written by
Miller Caldwell
Author and Film Script Writer
Why not place a book in your luggage for the holiday?
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Florida Villa Communities
Florida villa communities are well spread out over the Orlando / Kissimmee area.
Which community is best for you? Well that all depends on what your looking for?
If your planning to play golf during your stay in the Sunshine state? We have many communities that are located on some of the most beautiful courses in Florida.
Most of the communities are within 15 mins of the main theme parks, but to be honest the road network in and around the Orlando / Kissimmee area is well geared up for the traffic amounts and you can easily reach your favourite park or shopping mall without any major effort.
At What Florida Villa you can search for your ideal villa and select which amenities you require.
Lets say you want a villa on a golf course but you are fussy and want one with a private pool and a spa. But hey! Its also got to have a games room and be available on the two weeks of my vacation. Its a lot to ask! But we have one of the most user friendly and advanced Florida villa search facilities that will do all that for you.
We also have information and maps of all of the communities in and around the Orlando / Kissimmee area. Here is the link to the villa communities pages
All you need on one website.
Jim
Which community is best for you? Well that all depends on what your looking for?
If your planning to play golf during your stay in the Sunshine state? We have many communities that are located on some of the most beautiful courses in Florida.
Most of the communities are within 15 mins of the main theme parks, but to be honest the road network in and around the Orlando / Kissimmee area is well geared up for the traffic amounts and you can easily reach your favourite park or shopping mall without any major effort.
At What Florida Villa you can search for your ideal villa and select which amenities you require.
Lets say you want a villa on a golf course but you are fussy and want one with a private pool and a spa. But hey! Its also got to have a games room and be available on the two weeks of my vacation. Its a lot to ask! But we have one of the most user friendly and advanced Florida villa search facilities that will do all that for you.
We also have information and maps of all of the communities in and around the Orlando / Kissimmee area. Here is the link to the villa communities pages
All you need on one website.
Jim
Why should I rent a Florida Villa
Our first visit to Florida was back in the early 90's. We stayed in one of the local hotels in Lake Beuna Vista. The hotel was very nice but was also very expensive, not only for the accommodation fees but also for the food.
The big draw back for us was the lack of Privacy. Communal pool, communal gym, communal games rooms etc. Florida is a beautiful place but this just didn't do it for me.
I worked all year for this holiday and I just wanted a bit more than the hotel could offer.
The following year we booked our first Florida villa. I was so nervous about parting with my money to a stranger that i arranged to meet the villa owner personally. My apprehension was totally unfounded. The owner was very genuine and reassured me that the villa would be ready and more than I expected.
The reassurance came when he said " Yes you are parting with your money - some £700, but I am trusting you with my home - some $300,000 worth. So the trust is on both sides!
Most owners rent out their home to subsidise the cost of maintaining their villa for themselves to enjoy during their holiday.
Needless to say we had a fantastic trip and the villa was more than I expected.
The pool with separate Hot Tub was just luxury and completely private. The kids could just jump in and out and we didn't have to worry about the noise or disturbing anyone.
Over the following years we have stayed at several villas in various areas of the state and would just not even consider staying in anything else.
I am not just a villa convert I have also set up a successful business advertising Florida villa rentals
So check it out and book that villa.
Jim
The big draw back for us was the lack of Privacy. Communal pool, communal gym, communal games rooms etc. Florida is a beautiful place but this just didn't do it for me.
I worked all year for this holiday and I just wanted a bit more than the hotel could offer.
The following year we booked our first Florida villa. I was so nervous about parting with my money to a stranger that i arranged to meet the villa owner personally. My apprehension was totally unfounded. The owner was very genuine and reassured me that the villa would be ready and more than I expected.
The reassurance came when he said " Yes you are parting with your money - some £700, but I am trusting you with my home - some $300,000 worth. So the trust is on both sides!
Most owners rent out their home to subsidise the cost of maintaining their villa for themselves to enjoy during their holiday.
Needless to say we had a fantastic trip and the villa was more than I expected.
The pool with separate Hot Tub was just luxury and completely private. The kids could just jump in and out and we didn't have to worry about the noise or disturbing anyone.
Over the following years we have stayed at several villas in various areas of the state and would just not even consider staying in anything else.
I am not just a villa convert I have also set up a successful business advertising Florida villa rentals
So check it out and book that villa.
Jim
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