Archive for the Category ◊ Travel Tips ◊

Author:
• Monday, February 20th, 2012

Madrid is a great city to visit inside Europe. Madrid is the capital of the city and a place with lots of history. If you want to travel to Madrid and have a great time there, we recommend you to follow these Madrid travel tips:
Be sure to consult a travel guide before traveling. Learning about a city can give you lots of ideas regarding where to go, the eating schedules, the best places to stay, etc. Free online guide work great, or if you prefer, you can buy a printed one.
Printed guides will be of great help once you’ve reached Madrid, they will help you stay informed and oriented, specially with the aid of maps.
If you don’t know Spanish, it would be a good idea to learn a little. On the Internet you can find many free short courses in Spanish that can in fact make a difference while on your vacations.
If this is your first time in the city of Madrid, I would recommend that you purchase a Madrid travel package. These are packages that include everything from air transport to accommodations and tours. This will be a guided visit to the city that might give you more confidence on your stay.
One of the most important Madrid travel tips is to carry extra money in case of emergency, and keep it safe. Avoid wasting this money in something that is not urgent. Plan ahead.
When in the airport, taxis charge a higher price normally, but be aware also of possible scams. It is common to find taxi drivers that leave the meter on, even while you have not taken the cab in the first place!
Keep this Madrid travel tips in mind before and while on your journey. This will help you enjoy fully the capital of Spain, city of kings!

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Author:
• Sunday, February 19th, 2012

1. Check the latest travel advice for your destination and subscribe to receive free e-mail notification each time the travel advice for your destination is updated.

2. Take out appropriate travel insurance to cover hospital treatment, medical evacuation and any activities, including adventure sports, in which you plan to participate.

3. Before travelling (particularly travelling overseas), register your travel and contact details online or at the local Vietnamese Embassy, high commission or consulate once you arrive, so we can contact you when in need.

4. Obey the law. Consular assistance cannot override local laws, even where local laws appear harsh or unjust by Australian standards.

5. Check to see if you require visas for the country or countries you are visiting or transiting.

Be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry.

6. Make copies of your passport details, insurance policy, travellers cheques, visas and credit card numbers. Carry one copy in a separate place to the originals and leave a copy with someone at home.

7. Check with health professionals for information on recommended vaccinations or other precautions and find out about overseas laws on travelling with medicines.

8. Make sure your passport has at least six months validity and carry additional copies of your passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.

9. Leave a copy of your travel itinerary with someone at home and keep in regular contact with friends and relatives while overseas.

10.

Before departing your home check whether you are regarded as a national of the country you intend to visit. Research whether holding dual nationality has any implications for your travel.

11. Before traveling, the person must make strict procedures on the booking to avoid problems that can make while traveling. Today the internet makes it easy to book online but still problems can occur. The traveler must check all these booking procedures before traveling with a week especially if he will travel by air. The documents also of traveling must be carried in several copies to find them at need.The traveler must ensure that all domestic matters are resolved and tucked in to bed such as paying all accounts, in particular municipal services; canceling any deliveries; ensuring access is available to a trusted friend or relative in the event of a fire or emergency.

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Author:
• Sunday, February 19th, 2012

How Early should I start Hiking Huangshan Mountain?

Begin your hike up Huangshan Mountain early, as it takes approximately 6 hours to reach the summit.

What should I bring with me?

It is very important that you bring comfortable shoes. Be prepared to climb hundreds of steps to the various peaks. As stairs are narrow and the ground sometimes slippery, be careful when you walk along the edge of cliffs. Sneakers are good enough while sturdy, comfortable hiking shoes are a better choice. Bring a jacket with you on your hike. Temperatures drop as the altitude increases, and the weather is a little chilly in the late evening through early morning. Purchase bottled water and some light snacks before arriving at the foot of Huangshan Mountain .

Once you arrive at Huangshan, the higher you climb, the higher the prices climb with you. In case of rain, it is recommended that you bring a raincoat instead of an umbrella, because the winds on the mountain can be extremely strong. It is a safety hazard to use an umbrella. A rain jacket will protect you from both rain and wind. It is also recommended you bring a walking stick with you. Walking sticks are very useful even if you are just going up and down by cable car and walking the steps on the top of Huangshan Mountain. A walking stick can help you balance and reduce the weight on your knees. A walking stick that you used to tackle China’s Huangshan Mountain might just be the perfect souvenir to remember the wonderful and tiring moments on Mt. Huangshan.
Should I hire a porter?

It is recommended that you leave all unnecessary items behind, as there are many steps. If you have no choice but to travel with your luggage and your hotel is at the summit, it is recommended that you hire a porter to carry your bags. The porter will walk along with you explaining major sites along the way (only in Chinese though), and look after you! The first price given is always too high, so it is necessary to negotiate the price first with the porter before you begin.

Does Huangshan Mountain have a Smoking Policy?

Smoking is not permitted on all parts of the mountain. There are designated smoking areas. Visitors are asked to do their part in preventing fire caused by cigarettes. You can visit http://www.chinaodysseytours.com to get more information about this.

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Author:
• Saturday, February 18th, 2012

India is an unique blend of modernization and age old traditions. So, if you are planning for a vacation in the myriad land of India, than you must gather some travel tips before stepping here.

Unlike the Western countries, India is not a liberal country. Indians give respects and religiously follow their age old traditions. So, its very important to maintain social rules and regulations for traveler, if he or she wants to experience an enriching and comfortable holiday in India.

Some important and safety travel tips that a traveler must keep in mind while traveling to India are:-

1.Before entering to a tourist destination in India, a traveler must be aware of the all local laws and customs prevailing in that region. This will help the traveler to enjoy a chaos free vacation.

2.To enjoy a hassle free vacation in India, it is important to always keep in touch with your contacts back home and in India and regularly informed them about your whereabouts and activities.

3.Never disclose any important personal matters and travel plans to any stranger while holidaying in India.

4.Always keep the attested Photostat copies of your travel documents with you while stow away the originals in some safe place.

5.If you are planning to visit some restricted areas of India such as Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, you must procure the requisite permit from an India Tourist Office.

You may ask your travel operator’s for arrange the permission.

6.While traveling in India, try to hire cabs or taxis from credible travel operators or personnel such as Tourism-of-India Tour Operator. It will help you to avoid any problematic situation.

7. Don’t seek advice of the taxi drivers for accommodation. It will be better if you arrange your accommodation prior to your trip.

8.After check-in to the hotel, submit important documents like passports, return tickets and valuables like jewelry etc to the hotel’s safe deposit box.

9.To avoid incident of pick pocketing, always keep your wallet inside the jacket pocket or side trouser pocket. Don’t carry large amount of cash with you.

10.Beside hotel staffs, if any stranger comes to your room than don’t open the door. In case of any suspicion, immediately call the hotel reception.

11. Apart from hotel’s bell staff , don’t hand over your luggage to any other person. Always collect receipt for stored luggage. Never leave your luggage unattended at the airports, railway stations, taxi stands and bus stands.

12.Avoid using short cuts, narrow alleys or poorly lit streets. Always try to travel in company of others.

13.Try to carry proper medications, mosquito ointments and drink only bottled mineral water to avoid various water-borne diseases and don’t intake spicy foods while vacationing in India.

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Author:
• Thursday, February 16th, 2012

I have been to 80 cities in 30 countries. I’m not a travel expert by any means, but I do have some travel advice for the next guy. The biggest tip I can give is to do your research. Most of the tips I’m going to provide fall in this category and will be explained in greater detail.

Check travel Warnings and Alerts.
Make sure it is safe to travel where you’re heading. Travel Warnings and Alerts are available at any of the regional passport agencies and U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. The information is also available online at the Department of State homepage. All information about travel warnings and alerts are updated constantly.

Register your trip. It is a free service provided by the State Department.
I don’t want to deter you from traveling, but there is a good number of tourists that disappear each year. By registering your trip, they will at least have a starting place to look if you go missing.

When traveling abroad, make sure you have the address and phone number of your local U.S.

Embassy.
In an emergency you want to have this information readily available.

Before traveling, find out if your health insurance company will cover you in an emergency abroad.
In the event of an emergency, cost is not your first concern, I know. It is however, a third or fourth concern. I had a friend who traveled to Thailand and had to have an emergency appendectomy. He spent four days in a hospital in Bangkok and when he got home he had a bill for $ 20,000 that wasn’t covered by his U.S. provider. A travel insurance policy would have cut that cost to almost nothing.

Notify your credit card companies when traveling to unusual places or for long periods of time.

The last thing you want to happen is to have your cards canceled by your credit card company because they believed the card had been stolen.

When checking your backpack at an airport, use a pack cover to prevent pockets opening and straps catching on conveyor belts. Now I can tell you from experience you don’t want to be the person at the airport collecting their pack that is open and ripped to shreds. To add insult to injury, my journal was missing and everyone in baggage claim saw what type of boxers I wear.

Keep 20 bucks in your shoe. In an emergency, $ 20 can get you a ride, meal, and a phone call. It hasn’t happened to me but I have met people with horror stories about being robbed abroad. With no money and no ID, they had to beg for a few bucks for a cab ride to the U.S. Embassy.

If your unsure about drinking the water where you’re going, use a water bottle with a filter. You can get one at any camping store. When I was in Egypt and I was kicking myself for not having one of these. Remember different countries have different organisms in the water that the locals’ bodies are used to. Forgieners might not have that same luck in drinking the water. When in doubt, drink bottled water with a name that you trust.

Go with the flow. Traveling, especially aboard is one of the best experiences you could possibly have. You’ll meet tons of travelers who just want to see the world and have a good time doing it. Be respectful of others and their beliefs when abroad because they might be different from your own. Be open minded and friendly and I guarantee you’ll have a great time.

Until my next article, cheers!

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Author:
• Monday, February 13th, 2012

Rome is one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe. There ancient city offer great attractions and activities. Here the styles of art is different, it is fascinating and mighty. And also Rome is the most important city of the western antiquity and the cradle of the European civilization, where the past and the present is blended in perfect harmony. The most unique features of this old world city such as magnificent thrill of centuries of turbulent history, natural occurrence, architectural jewelry from the history’s greatest artists makes traveler in love with Rome.

Rome is truly an open-air museum, a city that has retained a real architectural uniformity; here, no changes due to industrialization and modernization, but a city that retains much of its charm. No wonder you can enjoy a day walking among the temples, squares, stores, bell-towers and more those will create a memorable and unforgettable images on travelers’ mind.

Theaters, Temples and spas next to stunning monuments gave the city a steady growth and a dazzling brightness that concluded in the decay of so great empire.

Christian Rome is born then, and the city wearing Renaissance and Baroque art.

Born on seven hills (Capitoline, Quirinal (Quirinale), Esquilino, Viminale, Celia, Palatine, and Aventine), criss-crossed by the River Tiber, Etruscan settlement of brave warriors and powerful imperial metropolis, Rome (founded in 753 BC) is today proud of its immense historical and cultural heritage.

At present, Roma is divided into two fundamental areas: the interior, or historical center, surrounded by the walls of Aurelius, built at the end of the third century AD to fence the area of the Seven Hills, and the area of neighborhoods or suburbs.

In the communal territory of Rome is the State of Vatican City, headquarters of the papacy of the Catholic Church, recognized as independent state by the Italian government in 1929 by the Lateran Pacts.

It has a surface of 42 m2. and approximately 1,000 people live there. The majestic Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the largest in the world, stands on the horizon of the city.

The best time to visit Rome is in April, May, October and November. During these seasons, the landscape of the fields that surround the city is fascinating, the temperatures are pleasant. The visitor should try to avoid August, as this is the month in which the majority of Italians take their holiday and consequently many shops are closed. Although winter can be very cold, the sun appears frequently, there are less people and prices fall considerably.

 

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Author:
• Sunday, February 12th, 2012

Most people dont think about their surroundings especially while they are traveling. After all youre on a vacation; there is no need to worry about where you are. You could not be more wrong. Thousands of travelers wind up in foreign hospitals in foreign countries, some were attacked and robbed, and others were in unknown locations and wound up injured.

I have a story to tell you and it is true. My cousin loved Spain and traveled there as much as he could; he planned on opening a business there and was in the process of setting it up. His last trip to Spain was horrible, he was attacked, badly beaten and robbed of his possessions. He spent two months in the hospital, and it was touch and go for a while. The family was very disturbed by this of course but the one thing we contemplated was, how did this happen? He knew Spain, he knew the areas to avoid to keep himself safe, we at least thought he did anyway, we found out later something much more disturbing which I will explain.

Every time my cousin went to Spain, he acted like he was on vacation, everything was fun and games, he was not aware of his surroundings. I thought how could this be, and asked him why he didnt know the areas better. This was his answer, I never thought this country had poverty, like we do in the US. I found this to be a shocking answer. Almost ignorant, dont get me wrong I love my cousin, but you have to admit thats a stupid answer.

My cousin is pretty well off financially and he shows it here in the states. He wears his Rolex and fine jewelry, he wears beautiful tailored suites, and why not hes earned it, but I think he put a target on his back because he did that in Spain as well.

I traveled a lot and I always kept my valuables at home. I even have a travel wedding band that I wear. I do not wear my 4,000.00 wedding ring when I travel. I do not take or wear my fine jewelry. I only take costume jewelry with me. My husband wears a $ 25.00 watch and leaves his expensive ones at home.

This is the number one tip I have for you; do not attract attention to yourself as someone with money. People (thieves) dont want to risk getting caught by robbing someone that doesnt look like they have anything to steal. They will only risk it if they believe they can get valuables from you. When youre traveling, dont show your money, because that will make you their number one target.

Keep those valuables at home, safe and sound. Buy a set of wedding rings that you only wear when traveling, make them inexpensive cheap bands, no stones at all, and not even fake ones. Buy cheap watches for traveling and dress down while youre out there. You can still look good without wearing those name brands. Know where you are going; find out what areas to avoid. Every country has violence and crime, ghettos as we know them are all over the world, know where they are and know where you are, what your surroundings are. Pay attention to whats happening around you.

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