Advanta credit cards are offered only to businesses. A search of the internet showed the top three Advanta cards as being, Advanta Business Rewards Platinum BusinessCard, Advanta Platinum BusinessCard and Advanta Life-of-Balance Platinum Card.

Business owners who apply for any of these cards must have good credit to be accepted.

Advanta Business Rewards Platinum BusinessCard

This card offers a 0% APR on all balance transfers for fifteen months. After the introductory period, a 7.99% fixed APR is assigned; this is the regular APR for all such cards.

Being an awards card, the Advanta Business Rewards Platinum card has five percent (5%) cash back or travel awards.

Like the other two Advanta credit cards there is no annual fee.

Advanta Platinum BusinessCard

Also offering a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and purchases for twelve months, this also has no annual fees attached. The regular APR is 13.49%, which makes the introductory 0% a deal.

The best thing about the Advanta Platinum is the Fifty Thousand dollar credit limit. Card holders also have access to free online bill payments as well as other benefits, such as, free vehicle insurance, theft and damage protection, as well as great discounts at select companies such as IBM.

Advanta Life-of-Balance Platinum Card

The Life-of-Balance credit card offers a fixed APR of 2.99% for life on balance transfers made within three months of getting the card. The regular APR on this card is 9.99%.

Cash back rewards of 6% are available on gas, utilities, computer supplies and dining expenses; other purchases earn 2% cash back. Card holders can also earn travel rewards on the Advanta Travel Rewards Point Program. Customers also have the option to select reward types after signing up for the card.

These cards were selected as the top Advanta cards based on APR rating and cash back rewards.

To compare Advanta credit cards, Eric Wasselman recommends Find Credit Cards.

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Located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is a hidden gem for those willing to try something new. One of the best ways to experience the culture is to attend one of the many Malaysian holiday celebrations.

Malaysia is a beautiful country made up of 13 federated states located in Southeast Asia. Originally British colonies, Malaysia is now a multicultural and multilingual country with aspects of everyday life drawn from native Malay and British customs. The official language spoken here is Bahasa Malaysia, although Chinese residing in the country speak their own dialects of the Chinese language, and other languages are spoken sporadically as well.

The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, and the country’s population, spread out among the various states, is about 25 million. Most of the country is Islamic with anyone claiming to be of Malay decent (about 65% of the country) being Muslim. Other religions are also tolerated with Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity also found in Malaysia. Many of the most interesting celebrations in this country, however, are the Muslim holidays. Visiting the country during these periods can be a great experience.

One celebration in Malaysia that shouldn’t be missed is the Moon Cake Festival. Ironically, it is a Chinese holiday made popular by the thousands of Chinese immigrants in residence here. This holiday, which takes place in August, September or October (there are no set dates for Muslim holidays, as they follow calculations from a lunar calendar) was started in the Mongolian dynasty of China. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth moon, and it is held to celebrate the end of the harvest season. The celebration is also associated with paper lanterns. The Moon Cake Festival is celebrated with mooncakes, which are round and about the size of your palm. Flavors range from black bean paste to lotus paste to yellow bean paste, and they are traditionally given to elders to foster better relations.

Another holiday in Malaysia worth experiencing is the Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which is a Muslim holiday where you can meet the King and Queen of Malaysia personally. The line for this privilege can stretch for miles outside the palace in Kuala Lumpur, but is worth the wait. After all, how many opportunities do you get to meet a king? During this holiday, Muslims practice an “open house” where anyone can drop by whether you know the hosts or not and share a feast. The Hari Raya Aidilfitri is one of the most festive of Muslim holidays, occurring after the fasting month of Ramadan.

Witnessing a country wide holiday in Malaysia is an experience not to be missed! Contrary to what you may see in the media, people are generally very friendly.

Rick Chapo is with Nomad Journals - makers of travel journals for preserving your experience on trips. Visit us to read more adventure travel articles.

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Now here is a subject that is open to lots of controversy. Anyone attempting to put “a stake in the ground” on this subject must be really brave - or incredibly stupid. You may see some bias here - four of the five are in the west, and four of the five run at least partially along water, and two, are Interstate highways - the nemesis of civil travel; so you may already disagree without even looking at the list.

Everyone has their one or two favorite highways, but after traveling over 50,000 miles in the contiguous 48-states, this is our consensus of “the best of the best.” See if you agree.

#5 - Interstate-84, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (80 miles) It is hard to imagine that an interstate highway runs through this magnificent stretch of scenery that was only recently designated a National Scenic Area. The gorge is the only cut through the Cascade mountains near sea level and the gorge varies in depth up to 4,000 feet. It forms part of the state line between the states of Oregon and Washington and features waterfalls (Multnomah Falls), scenic view points (Crown Point), Cascade Peaks (notably Mt. Hood) and the mighty Columbia River.
http://www.gonorthwest.com/Oregon/columbia/Columbia_River.htm

#4 - Going to the Sun Highway, Glacier Park, Montana (51 miles) There are many engineering marvels throughout the US highways, but none rivals “the Garden Wall” climb from Apgar, MT at Lake McDonald to the Continental Divide at the top of Logan Pass. The highway took eleven years to build and was completed in 1932. In fact, if your vehicle is over 20 feet (including bumpers - they are very exact) or over 8 feet wide (including mirrors), you won’t be driving that portion of the highway. The scenery is unparalleled everywhere you look, and the wildlife is still abundant. http://visitmt.com/tripplanner/wheretogo/glacier.htm

#3 - Interstate 70, Salina to Green River, Utah (100 miles) Now the first thing some of you will say is, “why not keep going?” and yes, the section from Green River through the Glenwood Canyon to Vail - and beyond - is also eye-popping, but you’ve got to stop somewhere on this marvelous highway. The section chosen winds through the red rock country, skimming the edge of several national parks, and provides the highway traveler with turn after turn of vistas that are like watching a movie. http://www.rockymountainroads.com/i-070b_ut.html

#2 - Highway 1, “The Overseas Highway”, “The Keys,”Florida (120 miles) Where life still moves slowly on a two-lane road with 42 bridges and the bluest water in the states, the Florida Keys are the closest thing we have to the Caribbean. The Keys are composed of five areas, each boasting its own unique contribution to the area: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys, and finally Key West. Only in Key West do they celebrate sunset every night with a party at the dock, and the sound of steel drums permeates the air. Here, everything having to do with water is available. Whether it is fishing, snorkeling/diving, kayaking, or simply bobbing around in the water, you’ll find what you want.
http://www.fla-keys.com/

#1 - Highway 1, Pacific Coast Highway, California (a little over 100 miles) Don’t let the distance deceive you - this is a three hour-plus trip. Unless you have no fear of heights, start in the south and go north - from Morro Bay to Carmel. Stop frequently to gawk. Feel the ocean wind and spray in your face. See the most incredible views this country has to offer. If you get tired of the outdoor beauty, stop at the Hearst Castle and take in the man-made beauty that William Randolph Hearst imported mostly from Europe for his castle by the sea. Gas up and grab some snacks before you leave, both are scarce along the way, but be sure to save room for lunch or dinner once you reach Big Sur or Carmel. Both have excellent choices and incomparable local ambiance.
http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/2301/index.html

So there you have it - the experience of seasoned road warriors. One of the great things about road trips is the opportunity to explore new roads and towns, go places you’ve often been intrigued by in the Sunday paper. Sometime in your life, you have to find time to take a really long road trip. Thousands of miles, months of time; there is nothing like it. Only then will you truly experience being a kid again. We’ll await your list.

Phil and Carol White decided to live their road trip dreams when they retired, while they still had their health, stamina and sense of humor. All along the way people kept saying, “Oh, we’d love to do what you are doing, but what did you do about ” and the list would begin. When we returned home, we did some research and found that they was really no “handbook” to help people plan that dream trip - that long trip in the back of your mind. So we wrote Live Your Road Trip Dream so that you too could live your dreams.

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