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Archive for the ‘Travel tips’ Category

Travelling might be the best thing to do especially after a wedding or a promotion. Moreover with the festive season spreading its glory far and wide, people are travelling to various destinations; either to catch up with loved ones or to capture a glimpse of a beautiful spot in their minds’ thresholds. However with our lives becoming more disaster prone, safety is a prime concern for even the shortest of trips. 

There are a few basic travelers’ tips that people must keep in mind before they say goodbye to their loved ones. The first most important thing to do is to sign into the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, in order to aid the State Department in better assistance. This proves helpful in case of an emergency or a crisis while traveling. 
 
It is also recommended to fill up the emergency information form while signing the passport. The passport should be valid and duly signed. 
 
To meet any unpredicted exigency, it is also advisable to keep copies of passport and itinerary with family members, this will help them locate you easily if anything wrong occurs.
 
Another vital task before moving out for a trip especially abroad is to check with the insurance company about overseas coverage. 
 
However traveling need not be a completely panicky situation. Especially if it is a honeymoon trip, safety first; but other things too need to be taken care of. Planning a tentative budget and registration with a reputed honeymoon travel agent is also an important thing to do. 
 
For any kind of trip, right and light packing is yet another vital thing. While an adventure trip might require you to pack the right clothes and shoes, a romantic getaway would on the other hand require you to pack minimum, permitting enough space for souvenirs that you might pick up. 
 
While on a romantic cruise tipping is a good idea to steal away some cozy moments and it is better to watch others from the ship while everyone else is ashore! 
 

If you love travel but you don’t want your vacation to break the bank, here are some helpful tips to keep the costs way down. 1. Join airline frequent flier programs and, if you like, sign up for credit cards that offer free miles. It’s awfully nice to kick off your vacation with a free flight to your vacation destination. But make sure to sign up for your free flight months in advance if possible. You want to make sure there are open seats on the flight. Also, if a flight is overbooked and you’re on vacation, why not give up your seat for a later flight and get a free ticket for your next trip? 2. If possible, find out the off-season for your destination and travel then. There’s a world of difference between season and off-season rates. Also, why travel to the most expensive international destinations? Some of the least expensive locations include Iceland, Hungary, Panama, Mexico, Argentina, Belize, Nicaragua, Brazil, and South Africa. You might be surprised what these nations have to offer tourists. Also check out the most reasonable currency exchange areas. For example, the internet says that in Taiwan or France, the most inexpensive places to exchange currency is at ATMs in the airport. 3. There are more and more all-inclusive vacation packages available at cut-rate prices. It can save a great deal of money to have tours/attractions, lodging, meals, and other amenities included in your package price. Paying for each of these things individually can easily double or triple your vacation costs. Sometimes you can get multi-day passes to various amusements or special rates if you go later in the day. Luxury cruises in particular offer some amazingly economical all-inclusive packages. 4. Ask your travel agent if there are apartments, condos, or even home rentals available at your destination. There are lots of desperate owners out there now who will rent a condo or fine home for significantly less than you’d pay in a nice hotel. Or check out Bed & Breakfasts: off season, you may pay less for extravagant lodging and gourmet breakfasts than you’d pay for a ho-hum hotel. If you have no choice, at least sign up for hotel loyalty programs that give you a free night after so many stays at their chain. 5. There are tons of ways to save on food. Many lodgings now offer free breakfast. If not, it’s usually less expensive to find a restaurant down the street for breakfast instead of eating in the hotel restaurant. Avoid room service or your hotel room mini-bar. Instead, bring soup or oatmeal packets and use the heated water in your coffee maker. If you want to splurge on a meal, lunches are usually less expensive in restaurants than dinners. Also you can save up for fabulous meals by eating nutrition bars during the day (Balance or Power bars), nuts, sandwiches, fruit, protein drinks, etc. In some places, restaurants which locals frequent can be much less expensive than the tourist traps. (Just make yourself aware of the countries where this can be hard on your digestive tract). 6. Speaking of food—what about coffee, local candies, gourmet delights. Instead of buying items like these in souvenir or touristy shops, check out local grocery stores or farmer’s markets for much lower prices. (just a head’s up: if you buy produce from a farmer’s market, make sure you wash it carefully with soap before consuming). You can buy a gourmet feast or great beverages for next to nothing in some countries. For example, in Costa Rica, superb coffee costs -12.00 in tourist shops but in grocery stores it is $ .75-1.00 per pound. You can almost always find bottled water at cheaper prices than in your hotel or the airport. Do a little searching. And carry around a giant thermos with your favorite beverage. You’ll be surprised how much you can save on drinks. 7. Transportation can be a huge expense, so check out your options carefully. When you factor travel time to airports, arriving at an airport early, baggage claim, flight delays, etc, it may be both cheaper and faster to use the bus or train. Also, figure out whether it would be cheaper and more convenient to rent a car than to pay for shuttles, taxis, or trains (Streetwise and Michelin’s spiral bound maps are great). Of course, in places like Europe, euro-rail passes can’t be beat when bought for several weeks or months at a time. And trains in many places are getting faster and faster. 8. For those with kids, just a few friendly hints. Bring your collapsible stroller for the tots. This can save you frustration as well as stroller rent. Also for tots, if you’re going to stay at a hotel for a week or two, why not buy things like diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks, and other baby items at Amazon.com and have them delivered in advance to the hotel? If you spend at least , delivery is free, and most hotels will accept deliveries as long as you already have a confirmed reservation. Give your kids a pre-set spending limit for arcades, souvenirs, etc. Knowing their limit may save a lot of whining and begging. If your lodging has a nice pool, Jacuzzi, workout room, etc., why not spend a day with the kids at the pool? They’ll have fun and it will save you that extra day in amusement park costs. Yes, you can enjoy the vacation of a lifetime without putting your home in hock. Just follow these tips and plan ahead. Get ready for a lot of fun!

Cuzco is located in the Andes Mountains at an elevation of about 11,150 ft (3,400 m), amongst towering holy mountains, ancient temples, high mountain altars, colonial architecture, and a complex history. This is one of the oldest, cities in the Western Hemisphere.  It was the capital of the Inca Empire, until the early 16th century, when Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured the city in 1533.  Cuzco really has it all for sightseeing.  It is also the gateway for a trip to Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas”.  The altitude may take a little getting used too, so do not rush seeing it all.

 

Facts about Peru:
There are 4000 native varieties of potatoes
Guinea pigs are a culinary delicacy
The city of Cuzco was originally built in the shape of a puma. The body of the puma contained the most important palaces, temples and governmental buildings. The square between the legs of the puma is the Plaza de Armas.
Tour conditions: Cuzco – 11,400 elevation, high 60′s day, low 50′s night. Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu – 8,400 elevation, high 60′s to 70 day, high 40′s to 50′s night
“Since it is impossible to know what’s really happening, we Peruvians lie, invent, dream and take refuge in illusion. Because of these strange circumstances, Peruvian life, a life in which so few actually do read, has become literary.” – Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian Novelist.

 

1.   Responsible Tourism:

Take advice from your guides on how to respect the social, cultural and religious beliefs of local communities. We believe in putting money directly into the communities we visit by using locally owned accommodations, and giving fair payment for services.

 

 2.   Passports:

A valid passport is required for entry into Peru, and a 90 day visa is given to US citizens automatically upon entry.  For US Citizens, you can go to the Travel.State.Gov web site.  Make sure  to renew your passport months in advance.  And always carry a second form of photo ID, such as a driver’s license, and have a photocopy of the personal data page of your passport.  Your photocopy of your passport is the easiest way to prove your identity, in case you were to lose your passport. 

 

3.   Flights:  Read more...

When you are traveling, either locally or overseas, there may be a few changes from your ordinary daily activities. Obviously if you are on holiday, the physical activities may change completely – you may either be doing a lot less than usual, i.e. resting and lazing on the beach reading a book, or you may be doing more physical activities than usual – jungle trekking, mountain-climbing and so on. The meal times and type of meals may change too. If you travel overseas, there may even be a change in the time zone, affecting the timing of medication intake. The following tips can be used to help manage your diabetes better during your traveling:

1. Have a letter from your doctor to certify that you have diabetes and list down the medication you are taking. This is especially important when you are traveling to a foreign country. You should always carry a small identity card stating your name, the medication you are taking and contact number for emergency or the address of your hotel – this should be kept in your pocket or wallet, in case you develop hypoglycaemic symptoms.

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2. Ensure that you carry at least one week’s extra medication. This is to allow for unforeseen flight delays, tablets lost, etc.

3. Always carry your medication in your hand luggage. If someone else is traveling with you, a portion of the medication can be kept with your travel companion, in case your bag gets lost or stolen.

4. Do not put your insulin or medication in the big luggage if you are traveling on the plane. This is because the temperature in the baggage area of the plane may not be the same as the rest of the airplane. If you are traveling by car, keep the medication with you in the car, not in the car boot. Do not leave the medication, insulin included, in the glove compartment or in the car when the car is parked, especially under the hot sun!

5. Inform the hotel or the flight carrier that you have diabetes, so that proper meal arrangements can be made in advance.

6. Always carry with you your glucometer and monitor your glucose regularly.

7. Always keep with you the local area’s emergency number or hospital/clinic contact number, in case of any emergencies.  Read more...

In recent times money is getting to be in short supply, and even if it is plentiful there is really no need to spend more than you need. That includes on traveling, and it is fun as well as educational to travel. Here are some tips for traveling on a budget to get the most for your money.

First, if possible, plan as far in advance as you can. Airplane tickets first go on sale one year from the date they are for, that is when they are cheapest. The price then usually rises until they are either sold out or no one is buying and the price suddenly drops. Most airlines will give a rebate if that happens.

With hotels you have three options, search on-line for the cheapest price, book early and ask for the cheapest rate available or wait until the last minute and find somewhere trying to fill empty rooms! The first is the most reliable, but the room may not be much. The second requires long range planning, and the third requires luck mixed with negotiation. If the places are all booked you may end up with either nothing or an expensive room!

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For food on a budget during travel, think shops for lunch and snacks and ask around for small, local places for dinner. For breakfast, check out the local bakery or ask if there is a free fruit bar, many hotels have them.

As for drinks, if you are trying to budget your travel, do not use the in-room bar, go to the nearest store! Even if it means a taxi it will be cheaper than paying restocking fees for your in-room refreshments. One can generally get a six pack for the price of a single drink. While at the shop or store buy snacks such as chips or nuts, unless they come free with the room!

A simple tip is that whenever possible, pay cash rather than credit card or room charge, and ask for a discount. You should get as room charges add 10-20% to the vendor’s fees or a credit card adds 5%, plus the people frequently have to wait for their money. On activities in the Caribbean, cash automatically gets a 10% discount at most establishments. You also don’t get gratuities added if you don’t want them.  Read more...