If you happen to be someone who’s traveling too often, you should definitely consider getting travel insurance. Most people tend to disregard its importance because of preconceived notions that they can just get on with their lives without it. However, you should know that traveling is among the most accident prone activities that people engage in. Although it is fun, traveling renders you vulnerable for things beyond your control. This is especially true when you are riding on any public transportation. Actually, even if you decide to drive your own vehicle you are still placed in any possibility of unforeseen danger.
Buying travel insurance should not be done at the last minute. It should not be accomplished days before your next trip. If you foresee yourself engaging in way too many trips before you get the work in your hands, you should already sign up for travel insurance. Most companies already offer this as a mandatory thing for their people who will be engaged in business travels way too often. But if you are doing freelance work which involves traveling, then you should do this on your own. Even if you are not traveling for work but simply doing it for pleasure, you should still consider getting travel insurance if you engage in out-of-town trips every so often.
Here are some of the important reasons why you should accomplish getting travel insurance early on and way ahead of time:
1. Get enrolled before you leave – While you may have already filed all the needed requirements and accomplished all enrollment forms, you might still end up not having a surely enrolled travel insurance plan before you leave if you filed it days before. This is because authorities will still evaluate your enrollment and will check your credit background. You should expect the evaluation process to take days even weeks to be fully accomplished.
2. You can recover costs – If for some reason your booked trip gets cancelled yet you already made accommodations and tickets, you can recover the costs you paid for in advance if you already have travel insurance. This happens because you already have your travel insurance officers to back you up before you even make arrangements. They will be the ones who suggest the booking office you should choose, and often times these booking agents are tied up with them or are directly affiliated with them. Should there be changes, they can easily process it for you.
3. Getting discounts for trips – Sometimes, newly enrolled travel insurance holders give tokens to their newly acquired customers through traveling incentives. You can take advantage of this once you become accepted in your insurance enrollment. By doing so, you can save up on vital things such as tickets or travel accommodations to name a few.
So the next time you go out on a cruise or take the next flight off to your business meeting, make sure that you already have your travel insurance in check. It really does wonders for you and also helps your loved ones be more at peace as you travel.
Motion sickness is a condition that you really don’t want to have while you are traveling. The best thing about the vacation is the travel itself, and you really don’t want to miss out on what you will see during the trip. But instead of enjoyng the great view around you, you sit in a corner looking out while trying to concentrate in an attempt to avoid being nauseated from motion sickness.
There are many factors that could trigger motion sickness. For one, our body can experience motion sickness because of conflicting ideas that enter our brain. The eyes only see one place, and they tell the brain about it. However, other senses in our body, especially the motion senses, tell us that we are moving. This results in conflicting information sent to our brain, and thus triggers nausea and ultimately motion sickness. Similarly, if we are traveling on a constantly changing elevation, our inner ear will tell us that we are not in one place while our eyes tell us otherwise.
There are also actions on our end that will trigger motion sickness. For example, if you have even a little bit of alcohol before traveling, motion sickness may be triggered. Alcohol triggers many things in your body, and especially when you are traveling, the alcohol in your body will inhibit the brain from concentrating and controlling the conflicting ideas that go into it. If you have just had a full meal, it will also heighten the chances of having motion sickness.
The only thing that you can do about motion sickness is to prevent it. If the motion sickness is already happening to a person, the only thing that you can do is to neutralize the effect. The only way to stop this completely is to stop the motion. If you can’t do that, let the person sit on the nearest window or a place where the person can just look at one place without feeling really bad. It is important to stop the conflicting messages that your brain receives.
Right now there are lots of medicines on the market that you can take at least an hour before travel time to prevent motion sickness. Staying away from alcohol is also a great idea. But the age old tactic of preventing this condition is to bring ginger when you travel.
That’s right, raw ginger. The properties of ginger are really strong in combating vomiting and nausea. If you take a little bit of these before you travel, it will trigger your body to be alert, and the conflicting ideas that the brain receives won’t be there. However, if you really can’t bring raw ginger for travel, then a ginger tea will hands down be the better alternative to prevent motion sickness.
The best way out of motion sickness is to prevent it. If you don’t feel good before your travel, you may need to drink some ginger tea to prevent motion sickness from happening and enjoy the ride.
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One of the biggest sources of confusion for many travelers is who to tip and how much. Tipping policies vary from region to region and from country to country. If you are traveling in the continental United States, we have some tipping etiquette for you to follow.
Why Must We Tip?
The word tipping comes from a phrase used in the past, “To insure Promptness” that a pub owner placed on a box. The acronym stuck, and today tipping is either a bribe for excellent service before you begin your transactions, or as a reward for a job well done. Most personnel who receive tips as part of their pay make low wages and depend on customers tipping to make their money.
At the Airport
Before you even begin your trip, you will have to tip the sky captains that handle your baggage. The usual tip expected is a minimum of $1 per bag, though of course you can always tip more. It is best to arrive at the airport with dollars in your pocket so there is no awkwardness when you hand over your baggage to the airport personnel.
When You Arrive at Your Hotel
Most of the hotel staff can be tipped when your stay is through, especially if you have the same people servicing you during your stay. It is common to tip the housekeeping staff $1 per person per day. If there is a doorman, you can tip him when you leave, as well as the rest of the staff that have helped you to enjoy your visit. If you would like to receive top-notch service, you can tip them when you arrive as well as when you leave.
Dining and Entertainment
Tipping your waiter or waitress when you dine is definitely expected at the time of service unless your meals are included in your hotel package. If you have the same person serving you daily, it is okay to leave a tip at the end of your stay. You can give your server whatever you think is fair as usually their tip is included in the price you have paid. If you are eating at a restaurant it is typical to leave 15% of the total bill for adequate service and for an outstanding job, 20% will be appreciated.
You can’t forget your bartender either. Tipping the bartender a modest amount after a few rounds will insure that you get a drink when you are ready. You can also tip at the end of your stay if again the same person has been serving you.
A Bit of Etiquette
It helps the awkwardness of the tipping process if you don’t ask for change. If you are planning on tipping the bartenders and servers on the last day of your stay, discreetly hand them the money and thank them profusely for making your stay more enjoyable.
Women are known to be more generous tippers than men, and men tip ladies more than they will tip another man. Keep in mind that these people are making your stay more enjoyable and should be rewarded with a nice tip to show your appreciation.
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Australia’s aboriginal tribes were forced from their lands by the Europeans. Its modern history began as a penal colony for the British during the 18th century. Convicts would arrive at the harbor in Sydney. The convicts were used to work the land and mine for gold during the gold rush of the 1850s.
Vacationing in Australia is a wish for many, but as the nation is so vast, where should one go?
1. The Capitol City of Canberra
The name Canberra comes from the aboriginals and it means “meeting place.” Canberra is located southwest of Sydney and northeast of Melbourne. Canberra won the title of capitol after a brief tug of war with the cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Here is the center of power in all of Australia. Enjoy the fishing and sailing offered, and take in a game of football or cricket while you are there. The climate is mild and is attractive for most activities for which you will want to participate. In Canberra you can visit a wealth of attractions to give you a better idea of what Australia is all about.
2. Outdoor Adventure in Sydney
The harbor at Sydney is where the big cruise ships dock. It is a great place to explore the wildlife and book an ecological tour to give the visitor an authentic Australian experience. Sydney is the most popular tourist destination and visitors can indulge in the arts and culture that flourish here. There is a wide range of museums you may want to visit such as the Australian National Maritime Museum, and if you haven’t had enough of the sea, visit the Sydney Aquarium.
Take the time to explore Sydney Harbor which is said to be one of the most stunning harbors made by Mother Nature in the world. Be sure you get tickets to experience the pride of Sydney at the Opera House. Darling Harbor claims to be the greatest waterfront destination worldwide and it is just a stone’s throw away from the center of the city.
3. See the Wonder of the Great Barrier Reef
Travel to Queensland and get in the water where you will be amazed at the site of the Great Barrier Reef. It boasts the distinction of being the longest reef in the world at over 1500 miles long. Discover some of the world’s most unique marine and plant life while snorkeling or diving this natural wonder.
The Wet Tropics boast untouched rain forests that have called this area home for millions of years. It is a true masterpiece and a shining example of what Mother Nature is capable of creating. Scientists and nature lovers are happy to travel to this primeval forest to discover new treasures and experience the wonders of a place that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.
If you are the more adventurous type, take a hot air balloon ride, sky dive if you dare or take a trip on a raft down a wet and wild river. You might decide to take a safari on trail bike or travel to the outback on an ATV. At the end of a long and busy day, sit back and relax with a cocktail and watch the sun set on this pristine wilderness.
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A stay at a dude ranch is a great idea for a family vacation. The kids will have a blast, and the moms and dads will find they are having a great time too. There are many activities that will engage the whole family. The U.S. has a wide range of dude ranches that will meet the needs of your family.
Where are Dude Ranches Located
Dude ranches are typically located in what is considered the Wild West. You can find dude ranches in Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana to name just a few of the states where you can enjoy a western style vacation. Many of the dude ranches offer a variety of activities and you can join in with the cowboys and get your hands dirty helping them do their daily chores. This is sometimes the only chance that city folk get to experience the life that many people treasure.
There are even dude ranches that can be found in many of the Canadian provinces. Though we may think that the life of a cowboy is just legend today, nothing is further from the truth. There are many that live their life on the range and are more than happy to share their passion with others.
What You can Expect when You Visit a Dude Ranch
Meals are typically referred to as chow and they are served family style. This gives everyone a chance to relax and get to know each other and for guests to listen to some of the cowboy’s tall tales. Campfires are a must and you will enjoy toasting marshmallows and listening to stories that you have only read about in books.
Some dude ranches are focused on horsemanship and others are real working cattle ranches. You may get a chance to see doggies getting branded, participate in a round-up or take to the trail along with the rest of the crew.
If you are not interested in getting involved in daily chores, you can take a hike along trails where you will take in the breathtaking scenery. Most dude ranches provide guests with a pool for swimming, basketball courts, tennis courts and of course there is always horseback riding. This may be the first time many tenderfoots get a chance to get up close to a horse. You can learn how to saddle and bridle your horse and feel like an authentic cowpoke.
What about Accommodations
Accommodations range from a bunkhouse styled room where everyone sleeps together to a luxurious private cabin. Depending upon the type of experience you want for your family, you can find a variety of accommodations that are sure to please the whole family.
Going to a dude ranch with your family will give you time to get to know one another all over again and you will often come away from your adventure with a sense of pride in learning new things and forgetting about big city life, if only for a little while.
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For some, it just wouldn’t be a vacation without a beach. There are many gorgeous beaches all around the world and we recommend these five beaches for those who are more adventurous and ready to explore some exotic waters.
1. New South Wales: Sydney
The best beach in Sydney is the renowned Bondi Beach. It is easily accessible by public transportation and it is the premier spot in all of Australia to people watch, swim and surf. You can soak in some local color while watching the most extraordinary surfers hanging ten. If you dare, get a board and try and catch a wave yourself. When the crowds become too much, stroll the neighborhood and visit one of the many cafes where you can get a bite to eat.
2. Greece: Cyclades
Mykonos is a place where excitement is the norm and the hedonistic lifestyle is truly embraced. Make your way to Paradise Beach where the warm, clear water is superb and the sand is soft and welcoming. This group of Greek islands is well known for the historical treasures scattered among the other islands such as Naxos, Santorini and Delos. Discovering the olden cosmopolitan cultures of this ancient land will leave you breathless.
3. The French Riviera
Cote d’Azur and Provence are known as the most luxurious of beach destinations. Taking a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice will having you appreciating the pleasure of a sun soaked vacation in a way you have never experienced. Cannes is the place to be in May when stars from around the world descend on the small town to take part in the Cannes Film Festival. For those who are looking for chic, St. Tropez is the place to go.
4. The Pacific Coast of Mexico: Mazatlan
Many are familiar with the Atlantic Coast of Mexico, but the Pacific Coast can boast its own beauty in Mazatlan. There is a strip along this stretch of the coast known as the Golden Zone where resorts and tourists abound. Playa Olas is a peaceful alternative to the hustle and bustle of that region. Fishing and surfing are the main activities here and it boasts some of the best waves to be found along the Mexican Pacific Coast. Plaza Machado is said to be the cultural heart of the city, so you won’t want to leave without sampling some of the finest seafood in the many cafes.
5. The Balearic Islands of Spain
This group of islands consists of small Formetera, peaceful Minorca, Ibiza and Majorca. When you visit Majorca, be sure to visit the Northern Coast where you will find craggy cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean Sea. If privacy is more to your taste, Es Trenc Beach boasts an undeveloped shore line along the southeastern coast of the islands. You will delight in the pine forest that borders this tranquil beach destination. For those who are into the rave scene, then Ibiza is the island for you. If seclusion is what you desire, then Formetera is where you should head.
I don’t know about you, but every time I’m in an airport I find it almost impossible to keep up with all of the necessary paperwork: my passport, tickets, itinerary, boarding passes, etc. It would sure be great if someone would invent a simple electronic method of capturing all this information — something that could be easily carried in a coat pocket, with no paperwork, no tickets or boarding passes.
Wait a minute; they already have. It’s called your cell phone.
According to news.com, Continental airlines is currently experimenting with a new system that allows passengers to check in using their cell phone, and have an electronic boarding pass sent directly to their phones, allowing them to pass through airport security and board their flight without using any paper tickets or passes whatsoever.
Of course ticketless flights had been around for a long time, mostly using a passenger’s credit card as identification. But using a mobile phone as your ticket and boarding pass has never been tried before. That is, until Continental began experimenting with the procedure this year.
Other airlines, including Continental, Delta, and American have already allowed passengers to check in the other cell phone, but they were still required to print out a ticket or boarding pass before being allowed through security and onto the plane. Continental’s new strategy is an entirely electronic ticketing and boarding process, that will use no paper at all.
So far, Continental’s passengers seem to be responding very favorably to the cell phone check-in and boarding pass process. Research shows that more and more travellers have been printing their boarding passes from their home computers to avoid the long flight check-in lines. But for those traveling on business or in a strange town for the first time, it is not always easy to access a printer.
By digitizing the entire process, and having both your ticket and your boarding pass linked to your cell phone, passengers can simply arrive at the airport and go directly to security. After that, they simply board the plane using the electronic boarding pass on their cell phone. It certainly sounds like a much quicker process than most of us go through when trying to make a flight.
So far, Continental is only using the cell phone ticket and boarding pass procedure on flights from the airline’s hub in Houston. But the results so far been very positive, so the airline will likely expand the service to other airports by late spring.
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No, it’s not a joke; a German travel agency is now accepting reservations for nude air travel and flights are scheduled to commence this summer. Wired.com is reporting that a new travel agency called Freikorperkultur (roughly translated: Free Body Culture) is offering all-nude air travel to the Baltic island of Usedom.
Although nudism has been very popular in Germany for decades, the new travel agency is the first attempt at nude airline flights in German history. In fact, the flights to Udedom will be the first nude air travel to a European destination. A competing company, Nude-Air, offered a similar nude flight to Mexico back in 2003, and continues to advertise “naked travel” to Mexican vacation destinations.
Enrico Hess, the company’s founder says the idea for the nude flights came from a customer, and is filling an “unusual gap in the market.” The first nude flight will be on July 5 of this year. The cost? €499. The crew on board the flight will remain fully closed for “safety reasons,” according to Hess. And passengers will have to remain fully clothed at the airport, only being allowed to disrobe after boarding the plane.
Hess emphasizes that the nude flight is not an excuse to join the mile high club; “it’s not that we’re starting a swingers club in mid-air or something like that.” Passengers have to remain fully clothed until the plane is boarded, and they must be fully clothed again before being allowed to exit the aircraft.
So why is it that the Germans seem to be so wild about nudism? I suppose there are a lot of theories one could expound upon, but perhaps German culture itself has something to do with it. Germany is famous for being a pragmatic and highly organized society, with strict social rules or “unwritten laws.”
It could be that the German citizen’s fascination with nudism is a type of backlash against the stricter, and more repressive aspects of their culture. After all, what could be more free and liberating than walking around completely nude? Actually, I can tell you what would be more free and liberating: being completely nude on an airplane cruising at 30,000 feet above the Baltic Sea!
So far, there are no attempts to bring “naked air travel” to the United States, though several US nudist organizations have requested that the German travel agency expand into North America. For now, American nudist who want to fly the friendly skies sans clothes will have to take a trip to Europe, where nudist culture is far more common and accepted than in the United States.
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Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s spinoff company to his successful Virgin airline, has revealed plans for a new “private” spaceship designed for “consumer space flight.” The new spaceship has been named White Knight Two, and is scheduled for test flights to take place this summer according to Virgin representatives.
InformationWeek.com is reporting that the new Virgin spaceship is based on the technology of the Ansari X prize winning, “SpaceShipOne,” which successfully completed three space flights to win a $10 million prize in the Ansari competition last year.
Virgin Galactic claims that the new Private spaceship design will be “environmentally benign,” and that the craft will be constructed from a light weight carbon composite. The ship will use four Pratt and Whitney aircraft engines to launch into sub-orbital space flight, and will carry a complement of up to eight astronauts and a minimal payload.
In a statement released last Wednesday, a Virgin spokesman said, “while the first priority for Virgin Galactic is developing the market for human space flight, the company is already assessing the potential for unmanned launch capability.” The company has already pre-qualified over 200 “consumer astronauts” and accepted registrations of interest from nearly 85,000 others.
Potential passengers must undergo complete medical evaluations, as well as lengthy centrifuge training, to cope with the g-force and low gravity conditions in space. Two prospective passengers have already completed the medical and centrifuge training at the NASTAR facility in Pennsylvania.
Besides the debut of the new Private spaceship, Virgin Galactic also unveiled the final design for their new spaceport, which will be located in New Mexico. The “Spaceport America” will take advantage of geothermal and solar power to minimize it’s environmental footprint, according to Virgin Galactic officials.
While to many, Richard Branson’s dream of a spacebound airline, or “spaceline” may seem impractical and made of the stuff of daydreams, Branson takes a hard-nosed realist position about his fledgling commercial spaceflight company. Virgin Galactic’s goal is to bring consumer spaceflight to the masses, with regularly scheduled flights beginning within the next five years.
Whether Virgin Galactic is able to succeed as a viable consumer spaceflight agency or not is the subject of much speculation, but Branson certainly has a reputation for taking on lofty goals and achieving them.
Branson’s Virgin Airlines was all but laughed at by industry analysts when it debuted, competing against the giant British Airways for transatlantic air passengers between the UK and the U. S. But no one’s laughing these days, as Virgin has become a force to be reckoned with in commercial aviation, and garnered a sizable share of the market.
With a little luck, perhaps Branson’s Virgin Galactic can also succeed were others have dared not to venture: out in space.
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Now that the horror of flying in Thanksgiving is past us, we can look forward to another holiday rush in transportation: Christmas. Whether or not you celebrate this festivity, you’ll still be affected as long as you travel. But there are simple tricks that can help you reduce your time on air and avoid the rush:
1. Know the difference between non-stop and direct. Non-stop flights are flights that go directly to the intended destination. These flights maybe a little bit expensive compared to other flights but once you are on board, you’re practically there after a few hours of sitting. Non-stop flights are different from direct flights. This type of flight will take you there BUT it will be stopping by in one of the key cities. That stop usually lasts for at least an hour depending on air traffic.
2. Fly early. Morning in airlines means they can start over serving their customers with a little bit of delay. As the day progresses, the time of delay is multiplied and when afternoon comes, one hour delay in airlines is an understatement. The last flight of the day means you’ll have to prepare for the longest delay of the day – with the possibility of flight cancellation.
3. Get an originator flight. Originator flights are the first flight of that airline in a specific schedule. Non-originator flights are the type of flights that stop over in your airport to get more passengers. Think of it as a bus stop. Delays usually happen in non-originator flights since they are not anymore compelled to fly on time. Call the airline and ask them if the flight you are interested in is an originator flight.
4. Fly in the middle of the week. If you have a free schedule, go for a flight in the middle of the week. There are more travelers in weekends, Friday and Monday compared to flights from Tuesday to Thursdays.
5. Go to smaller airports. Major cities always have more than one airport. The busiest of them are of course the major hubs. Check for a flight that arrives in a minor hub in the same city. Smaller airports don’t have the rush compared to airports with big names. Just target these airports as a destination and not the origin. Flights that go out from smaller airports are usually cheaper but have multiple connections.
Aside from those tips, check out these websites for more information regarding a single flight:
Avoiddelays.com – this information intensive website will give you almost everything you need to know about your flight. Just type in airport, date and time and flight time, and type of plane and even security times in that particular hour will be displayed.
Flightstats.com – the interface looks like avoiddelays.com but it can also be used for international flights. Major hubs in different countries are highlighted in a map and when you click on a major airport, you can easily access the flight status in most flights in that airport.
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