Blogger BlogNet84761

If you're like me, you're wondering how to schedule those much needed vacations without paying an arm and a leg. Let's face it, it's costing more to drive to the airport and you're even paying more for your airline tickets once you get there.

Does this mean your trip to the Caribbean is out this winter because of these prices? Have you given up your dreams of traveling Europe or bicycling in Thailand because it's just gotten too expensive to go anywhere?

Smart travellers are finding ways to lock in prices by investing in travel memberships. They range in price from $1,495 for a three year package to $2,995 for a lifetime package. That's a lot of money to put out you say? But what if every nice hotel you booked for the next few years were set at prices of $299 to $699 a WEEK? You'd save $1,500 your first trip!

And these are not economy hotels either. They are usually four star resorts like Sheraton, Marriot, Hilton, Wyndham and Gold Crown Resorts. Here's how they do it. All hotel chains like to see themselves booked to capacity as much as possible, so they are always putting 2%-5% of their available inventory up for sale. One such company buys this inventory for a year out or more.
Those savings are then passed on to you, the savvy travel membership club owner. You get in with a password that lets you have access to their back office, and you are able to book anywhere in the world at over 5,000 locations and stay in a luxury resort for between $299 to $699 a WEEK. All year long. No black out dates. No extra fees or taxes.

They have huge discounts on cruises too, and if you have the lifetime package, you can often book two or more rooms for the same price and take extra family members or in-laws with you too. So forget the big travel booking chains, and get a private one all of your own with steep 70%-80% discounts.

See you on the beaches of Hawaii, the slopes of Colorado, a villa in Portugal, or the outback of Australia.

Lindy Tucker
FOUR STAR TRAVEL
828-628-2999
http://www.four-star-travel.com

Microsoft is revamping its certification tracks, and will eventually retire the familiar MCSE certificatons. The new certification setup is much like Cisco's, where there are specialist certifications to go along with the more general CCNA, then mid-level certifications such as the CCNP, and then a more-advanced practical exam modeled somewhat after the coveted CCIE certification.

Microsoft's new specialist exams are the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) exams. As of March 2006, there were five separate MCTS Tracks. Three of them deal with .NET Framework 2.0; these are the Web Application, Windows Applications, and Distributed Applications certifications. Each of these separate certifications requires the candidate to pass two exams. There is also a one-exam SQL Server 2005 certification, as well as a BizTalk Server 2006 single-exam certification.

The initial question is "Why is Microsoft doing this?" According to their website, MS feels that IT hiring managers today have a tough time deciding which computer certifications best identify job candidates who best meet their needs. I know it's easy to take verbal shots at Microsoft (it'll be an Olympic sport one day), but this new series of certs does have appeal for hiring managers, which can only help qualified candidates. Instead of the more-general MCSE, which does still suffer from the overcertification of NT 4.0 MCSEs back in the day, these more-specific certifications will make it easier for the job candidate to prove that they can do the job - and easier for the hiring manager to make an informed decision.

Microsoft hasn't announced the track that will eventually replace the MCSE, but this track will be revealed with the next client-server Windows release. It's up to you to stay informed of these changes, so I recommend you visit Microsoft's certification website often. "I didn't know" isn't much help once a certification expires!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Cisco CCNA certification test prep articles. His exclusive Cisco CCNA study guide and Cisco CCNA training is also available!

Visit his blog and sign up for Cisco Certification Central, a daily newsletter packed with CCNA, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! A free 7-part course, "How To Pass The CCNA", is also available, and you can attend an in-person or online CCNA boot camp with The Bryant Advantage!