For some, it just wouldn’t be a vacation without a beach. There are many gorgeous beaches all around the world and we recommend these five beaches for those who are more adventurous and ready to explore some exotic waters.

1. New South Wales: Sydney

The best beach in Sydney is the renowned Bondi Beach. It is easily accessible by public transportation and it is the premier spot in all of Australia to people watch, swim and surf. You can soak in some local color while watching the most extraordinary surfers hanging ten. If you dare, get a board and try and catch a wave yourself. When the crowds become too much, stroll the neighborhood and visit one of the many cafes where you can get a bite to eat.

2. Greece: Cyclades

Mykonos is a place where excitement is the norm and the hedonistic lifestyle is truly embraced. Make your way to Paradise Beach where the warm, clear water is superb and the sand is soft and welcoming. This group of Greek islands is well known for the historical treasures scattered among the other islands such as Naxos, Santorini and Delos. Discovering the olden cosmopolitan cultures of this ancient land will leave you breathless.

3. The French Riviera

Cote d’Azur and Provence are known as the most luxurious of beach destinations. Taking a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice will having you appreciating the pleasure of a sun soaked vacation in a way you have never experienced. Cannes is the place to be in May when stars from around the world descend on the small town to take part in the Cannes Film Festival. For those who are looking for chic, St. Tropez is the place to go.

4. The Pacific Coast of Mexico: Mazatlan

Many are familiar with the Atlantic Coast of Mexico, but the Pacific Coast can boast its own beauty in Mazatlan. There is a strip along this stretch of the coast known as the Golden Zone where resorts and tourists abound. Playa Olas is a peaceful alternative to the hustle and bustle of that region. Fishing and surfing are the main activities here and it boasts some of the best waves to be found along the Mexican Pacific Coast. Plaza Machado is said to be the cultural heart of the city, so you won’t want to leave without sampling some of the finest seafood in the many cafes.

5. The Balearic Islands of Spain

This group of islands consists of small Formetera, peaceful Minorca, Ibiza and Majorca. When you visit Majorca, be sure to visit the Northern Coast where you will find craggy cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean Sea. If privacy is more to your taste, Es Trenc Beach boasts an undeveloped shore line along the southeastern coast of the islands. You will delight in the pine forest that borders this tranquil beach destination. For those who are into the rave scene, then Ibiza is the island for you. If seclusion is what you desire, then Formetera is where you should head.

I don’t know about you, but every time I’m in an airport I find it almost impossible to keep up with all of the necessary paperwork: my passport, tickets, itinerary, boarding passes, etc. It would sure be great if someone would invent a simple electronic method of capturing all this information — something that could be easily carried in a coat pocket, with no paperwork, no tickets or boarding passes.

Wait a minute; they already have. It’s called your cell phone.

According to news.com, Continental airlines is currently experimenting with a new system that allows passengers to check in using their cell phone, and have an electronic boarding pass sent directly to their phones, allowing them to pass through airport security and board their flight without using any paper tickets or passes whatsoever.

Of course ticketless flights had been around for a long time, mostly using a passenger’s credit card as identification. But using a mobile phone as your ticket and boarding pass has never been tried before. That is, until Continental began experimenting with the procedure this year.

Other airlines, including Continental, Delta, and American have already allowed passengers to check in the other cell phone, but they were still required to print out a ticket or boarding pass before being allowed through security and onto the plane. Continental’s new strategy is an entirely electronic ticketing and boarding process, that will use no paper at all.

So far, Continental’s passengers seem to be responding very favorably to the cell phone check-in and boarding pass process. Research shows that more and more travellers have been printing their boarding passes from their home computers to avoid the long flight check-in lines. But for those traveling on business or in a strange town for the first time, it is not always easy to access a printer.

By digitizing the entire process, and having both your ticket and your boarding pass linked to your cell phone, passengers can simply arrive at the airport and go directly to security. After that, they simply board the plane using the electronic boarding pass on their cell phone. It certainly sounds like a much quicker process than most of us go through when trying to make a flight.

So far, Continental is only using the cell phone ticket and boarding pass procedure on flights from the airline’s hub in Houston. But the results so far been very positive, so the airline will likely expand the service to other airports by late spring.

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