10 Important Travel (luxury cruises) Tips

March 13th, 2010 admin Posted in travel |

By Roberto Garabell

Going on vacation is always exciting and there is usually a fair amount of preparation that goes into it. When you are on vacation, you want to make sure you can make the most of it. Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Research Your Destination

You needn’t read a guide book cover to cover as some quick internet research will do. Find out what the local language is and if it isn’t English, learn a few phrases so that you can get by. Also, find out about local banking systems, if they accept foreign currencies, or where you can exchange your dollars for local currency. Ideally, you should also look up the exchange rates and find out from your travel agent the cost of bottled water or soft drinks. This is generally a good indicator of how expensive a destination is and will help you budget in terms of the spending money you should bring.

2. Don’t Pack the Kitchen Sink

Researching your destination will help you in deciding what to pack. Make sure you know what the luggage allowance is. In most destinations outside of the U.S., the flight allowance is one bag weighing no more than 20 kilograms. If you are going on a safari or trekking trip, often that allowance is reduced to 15 kilograms and only soft bags are allowed. Pack clothes that suit the activities you plan to partake in. Wear neutral colors if you will be wildlife viewing. Also, consider what season you will be travelling during and if the weather is very variable at that time of year. Find out if you will need a sun hat or rain jacket. Leave hairdryers at home. Most hotels from three stars upwards will have hairdryers in the rooms that you can use. Also, keep in mind that most countries operate on different voltages so if you do take your hair dryer, you won’t be able to use them anyway. Choose smaller travel bottles for items such as shampoo and conditioner. This will save you both space and weight.

3. Respect the Local Customs

It’s particularly important to read up on the dress code and local customs when visiting a foreign country. In many Middle Eastern, African, Asian and Far Eastern countries, people tend to dress more conservatively, especially women. Be aware of gestures that may be offensive such as pointing or even holding hands. Also, don’t assume people are less intelligent just because they don’t speak or understand what you are saying; most often it’s simply a language barrier. Remember, you are guest in their homeland and it’s therefore important to respect their traditions and customs. Always ask permission before photographing locals as some cultures are superstitious about cameras and will get upset if you take their photograph. Often, in poorer communities, a tip or gratuity is expected after you take a photo of someone.

4. Leave Your Valuables at Home

Items such as jewelry are best left at home. Ostentatious displays of wealth will make you are target for thieves in even the most civilized of countries. It also allows you to enjoy your holiday more if you are not worrying about losing your precious pendant or ring.

5. Always Keep an eye on Your Travel Bags

Get a small travel lock for your bags and make sure your bags are secure whenever travelling between destinations. Some airports offer bag wrapping which is probably one of the most effective ways of ensuring that your bag doesn’t get tampered with. Some countries have strict import and export customs, and they will often search bags at random. Make sure you are aware of import and export allowances. Don’t leave your bags unattended in airports, hotel lobbies and other public places.

6. Back up Your Memories

Take a spare memory card and use the hotel business center or local internet cafe to download your pictures. In this way, if your camera is damaged in any way or stolen, at least you have a backup of your photographs and memories of your travels. A camera can be replaced but your photographs cannot be replaced.

7. Always Plan to get to the Airport Early

Traffic in big cities is notoriously bad and public transport could be delayed. Get there a little early and know you are on your flight instead of rushing to try get there on time. If you miss your flight, you may end up having to buy a new ticket and that can be very expensive.

8. Don’t Keep all Your Money in one Place

Many people travel with safety pouches that can be kept around their waists. The best option is to have a pouch that fits under your clothes so that it can’t be seen. Take out just enough money for the day and put this in a small purse with one of your credit cards. You can then use this for purchases without having to dig in your pouch and show everyone where your money is.

9. Have a Travel Notebook

Before you leave, buy a small hardcover pocket notebook. This is handy to make notes on the various places you’ve visited, keep an account of travelling expenses, and take addresses of people you may meet along the way and want to keep in contact with.

10. Experience the Local Scene

Don’t remain tucked away in your hotel room or tour bus. The best way to experience a destination is to go to a local restaurant, visit a market or simply stroll down the street. Naturally, it’s a good idea to first check if the area is safe to do so.

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Tips to Find the Right Travel Agency

By Jessica Thomson

If you want to experience a trip of your lifetime, then planning for that trip itself may take a lifetime for you until you have the assistance of the right travel agency.

There is a very common misconception about the travel agents generally. People normally believe that is agencies tend to increase your travel cost rather then help you get the best deal. Thus, increasing the cost of your trip. This is a misconception and far from the truth.

The main thing that you need to take care of is finding yourself the best and the right tour agencies. Thus, you can not only save yourself some money and time but also the whole process becomes less stressful. So what is the way to find out which group travel is the best for you.

The first way to find a good travel agent is through the referrals. You can get feedback and details from your family and friends. Find out from them about the travel agents and the whole vacation package.

Ask them how the trip went and whether it had any glitches. Where was there stay arranged and was the place goo?. What was there means of transportation? With these genuine feedbacks from people whom you know will help you to differentiate between the good and the bad agencies. Thus, it will become easier for you to select the right agents to plan your travel.

Again, in the business world, most of the companies and organisations have an established relationship with some particular travel and tour agencies. These agencies offer service to the members or employees of these companies only. Thus, the employees have access to their service any time they want, no matter if it is for business or pleasure.

With these travel and tour agencies, one can always get the best deals, as the members only plan often tends to offer the best deal. If you are not a member of any of these agencies, then you can shop around with some of the established agencies to get the best deal.

You can find many travel and tour agencies come and go. But the ones which are good and dependable when it comes to providing quality service are the ones which establish themselves in the industry.

With these few steps, you can avoid yourself the hassle and get the right people to plan your dream vacation!

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