By FOMO Girl
Anyone who loves a masquerade will have a blast at Italy's annual Carnival festival, held in the beautiful city of Venice every February. The largest of its kind in Italy, every year people come from around the globe to partake in the merriment of this celebration in which colorfully clad masked partygoers roam the streets. Several companies whom specialise in festivals travel provide exciting tours to this amazing event.

Known locally as "Carnevale", this festive holiday is observed just before Lent, in February, but the exact date varies from one year to the next. The tradition started during the twelfth century following a local victory, its lavish and indulgent nature is also believed to stem from the fact that all excessive drinking, eating, and partying is strictly off limits during Lent.

The tradition perpetuated and by the Renaissance it was being celebrated in grand style. Locals would take to the streets of Venice adorned in fancy costumes and wearing exquisitely crafted masks, and various performances would be put on in the city's public squares. These festivities started to lose popularity over the years, first declining in the 18th century, and finally being banned altogether by Mussolini in the 1930's.

Fortunately, by the late 1970's, a group of local artisans successfully managed to get its observance reinstated. The reborn Carnival resulted in a huge boost for Venetian tourism, with about three million people from around the world visiting the city every year for this outstanding two-week event.

Masked balls, both private and public, represent the height of the festivities, but there are also lots of other fun events that take place, most of them being free of charge, such as concerts, candle-lit boat processions, and street entertainment by clowns, buskers and such. One can take in a play, participate in some traditional sporting events, or simply enjoy the abundance of delicious food and drink.

G Adventures provides customers with fun nine-day Venice Carnival tours From Rome to Venice during this special time of the year. This tour also includes 3 nights in Tuscany on the way to the Venice for Carnival, where you will stay for 3 nights. The tour groups are no larger than 16 people in size and includes breakfasts each morning and a traditional local dinner in Rome, an orientation walk in Florence, day trip to Pisa and all transport between destinations and to/from included activities..  You will also have a walking tour of Venice, water taxi transportation, and excursions to such interesting places as quaint fishing villages, St. Mark\s Basilica, a glass-blowing studio and of course the masked partying.

By FOMO Girl
Late April is a great time to visit Amsterdam, the Netherlands' capital, since this is when their annual King's Day celebration takes place. Originally known as Queen's Day, when the reigning monarch was female, this exciting holiday is normally held between April 25-27th and is celebrated with a citywide street party. Visitors will find several tour companies offering festivals travel tours that will provide them with a memorable experience of this dutch holiday.

This local tradition began in August 1885 to honor the birth of Queen Wilhelmina, and continued as an annual event after her daughter, Juliana, and grand-daughter, Beatrix succeeded her, only the date was changed to April. In 2014, the name of this holiday was officially changed to King's Day, as a male monarch, King Willem-Alexander took over the throne.

Even though the name of this holiday has changed, it still maintains the same festive spirit, with both locals and visitors to the city dressed fully in orange, the color that symbolizes the royal family of the Netherlands, the House of Orange-Nassau. The royals themselves take part in the celebration by visiting a different town or city each year.

The entire city of Amsterdam becomes a giant flea market at this time, with people setting up tables throughout the streets and parks where they can sell pretty much anything new or used. There are also tons of food stalls offering a wide selection of tasty things to eat, with pubs packed with lively folks, and music fills the air from bands and DJs playing their tunes. Families with kids can enjoy sporting events, face-painting, street buskers, and much more.

Although it is considered a public holiday, King's Day is by no means a day of rest. The festivities kick off the night before the big day, and continue through until the next day. The party isn't limited to the streets and parks alone, but it also takes place on the water, as colorfully, decorated boats line the waterways of the Amsterdam canal system. Spectators, who aren't on the boats, typically line up along the bridges just to watch.

Those who prefer to arrange their own transportation to Amsterdam may want to check out the offerings of party tour operator Stoke Travel. Guests meet up in the Dutch capital, where for King's Day Stoke Travel provides floating accommodation aboard its two fully equipped, comfortable houseboats. Besides partaking in the revelry of the street party, travelers can enjoy guided walking tours of local places of interest. An optional four-hour boat cruise, with beer included, is available for an extra fee on King's Day.

Busabout offers travelers fun excursions to Amsterdam to celebrate King's Day. The Busabout King's Day tour packages provide bus and ferry transportation from London, England, a fun and knowledgeable guide, three nights accommodations, breakfast each, one dinner, and orange regalia for each guest, including a t-shirt, face paint and such. Travelers can enjoy a bike tour, checking out Amsterdam's hot spots, beer sampling, and a tour of the dam and the infamous "Red Light District".

Still not convinced how much fun King's Day can be in Amsterdam?  Well check out this video below.

By FOMO Girl
Ever since their inception in 1973, Topdeck Travel has been providing travelers with outstanding adventures. With services aimed at young adults, these award-winning youth travel tour operators offer thrilling vacations in every continent. There is something for every taste with the wide range of enticing itineraries they have to choose from.

Although Topdeck is essentially Australian owned, it has its origins in the United Kingdom where it first began as a provider of tours to northern Britain on one of its fleet of double-decker buses. The first trip it offered outside of the UK was to Morocco. Over the past several decades, they have gradually expanded their offerings to include destinations in continental Europe, North America, Australia & New Zealand, Middle East & North Africa, and Africa.

They primarily cater to travelers who are in the 18 to 30 something age bracket. Travelers enjoy the opportunity to meet others and on a Topdeck trip you will often become friends with plenty of other people and you can be sure to be making excursion plans with your new found friends. In some cases, lifelong friendships are started, and these people will continue to take their holidays together for years to come.

The Topdeck staff are all truly dedicated to making each and every guest's travel experience a thoroughly enjoyable one. They demonstrate enthusiasm and are also very knowledgeable about the places they visit, and are always happy to provide travelers with helpful tips and recommendations for each location, so they can get the most out of their time spent there.

Unlike some other tour companies, which are highly structured, consisting of almost entirely group activities, the itineraries of Topdeck are very flexible, and can be easily adjusted to the unique needs of each traveler. Group tours and excursions are available, but not mandatory, and travelers are allotted plenty of free time to make their own plans and do exactly what they wish to do.

The all-inclusive nature of these travel packages is also very appealing to travelers who are looking for a budget-friendly vacation. Not only does it save you money, since you do not have to separately pay for accommodations, transportation, food, and such, but it also means less of a hassle for you since all these arrangements will be made by Topdeck. Travelers have less details to worry about, and can focus more on simply enjoying their holiday.

Besides having its own terrific staff, Topdeck also supports the local economy in each of its destinations, by hiring local people as guides for certain attractions and they also are proud to encourage their guests to visit the businesses that are family-run. The superb culinary experiences offered on these trips is also something many travelers rave about, delectable feasts of traditional native dishes will be an enjoyable part of every adventure.

What's also nice about this company is that they offer a wide range of travel styles to suit different tastes. The more adventuresome set can choose an exciting camping, sailing, or skiing holiday, while those who prefer a calmer, more comfortable vacation can opt for hotel accommodation, and interesting tours of local attractions, shopping and such. Topdeck Festival trips are for those that really want to party. They say it's not possible to make everyone happy, but as a travel company, Topdeck certainly does it's best to accomplish this.