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Accommodation Near Travel Tips |
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They say that the world is getting smaller every day. As planes fly faster and further, train bullet along at speeds unthought of just twenty years ago it is easy to believe that this is true. But it doesn't matter how much time you have to spend travelling or how much money you have to spend there will always be places you haven't seen that will amaze you, new people who will bring you joy and pleasure and foods and traditions to experience. So for all it's smaller size the world and its people will always have the ability to offer you something new! But every trip you make needs a set of desictions to be made - where to go, when to go, how much to spend, how long to stay, what should we take with us, do I need a visa or not and so it goes on. Sometimes these decisions can make the planning of a wonderful trip a bit of a nightmare. This Accommodation near travel tips page is here to help take the tediunm out of this planning and to help make you trip that much more pleasurable. The trip of a lifetime can be destroyed by some simple little thing that we forgot or didn't know to do. Ever tried buying an asprin in a country that has no English speakers and all the labels are in Pharsi? That headache that just won't go away can make a wonderful day out in an ancient undercover market seem like time in hell! To help overcome those simple mistakes and to offer you some very particular information on a wide array of travel issues we have compilded this list of Travel Tips to help make your trip of a lifetime a "Trip of a Lifetime!" Table of Contents
Pick your DestinationEveryone travels at a different rate. What we mean by that is that some like to take it easy and calmly experience what they can while others want to see as much as they can in the shortest possible time and still others are after excitement and tons of adrenaline.You need to be aware of the type of traveller you are and make sure you plan a holiday and choose travel companions who are of the same mind. Go to the wrong place with the wrong people and it will not be what you had hoped it would be. Can you imagine getting caught up in a white water rafting holiday down the Yukon River in mid-winter when all you wanted to do was see local native artificats and take pictures for the bird-watching club back home? So if this is your first time travelling then we advise you to take it easy. Select a destination that will help you ease into travel. Take you time in planing a trip that you will enjoy but that will also teach you about travel and what to expect from it.
Get OrganisedNow that you know where you want to go it's time to work out all the little, but important, details of your trip. When to travel, what documents will you need, what tickets to book before you leave, should you reserve accommodation now or leave it until you get there, should or shouldn't you take out travel insurance, hire a car and if so what model, size, auto or manual, which guide book/s should you take with you. How are you going to select which hotels (cost, location, amenities, etc.) to stay in, which items should you take with you and how are you going to get the stuff you buy home?When you should travel. It really depends on a lot of issues. Do you have to be in a particular place at a certain time? If you do then part of the trip is already planned but if not then do you have a choice of season? If you want to laze on a sunny beach when it's warm then you need to get there in summer but if you want to see penguins in the North of Scotalnd then a Northern Winter gives you the best chance. If you have a limited budget then travelling in the 'off-' or 'low-season' is best. The reason is that airline, long ago, discovered that most people wanted to travel to catch the summer warmth at their destinations so fare went up to get higher profits and the opposite happened in the cooler winter months when for those times of the year fares went down to try and attract more people to fly to get more profits. But for all the attempts of the airlines to increase profits we, the fly public, can benefit by grabbing those low fare times if it suits. Northern Hemisphere flight seasons
Map and Information sources are real 'need to knows.' A great first stop is the tourism offices of the countries you are thinking of visiting. These places are geared towards giving you all the information and maps you might need to get to the places you want to go. These places are also available on the net; for example check these links: Maps are sometime critical to finding your way around. But you are going to buy a map thern do it before you leave home. Try reading a map written in Japanese of Vietnamese and compare the experience to reading one in your own language - we'll pick our own language every time since we know the pronunciations and can read it. Your passport is probably one of the most important items you will carry with you on your travels - don't lose it and if you do make sure you have the contact details for your embassy or consulate in the coutry you will be travelling to. Also make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months AFTER you plan to leave your travel destination. Money and documents are best kept on you at all times. To help you achieve this a slim money belt that can be worn under your dress/trousers and large enough to also hold your passport will be invaluable. - and if it's water-proof so you can wear it in the shower then all the better. Money belts have been stolen while people are in the bath or showering so DON'T TAKE IT OFF ANYWHERE! Do NOT wear a bum-bag as they can very easily be cut off with a very sharp blade and stolen or picked by professional pickpockets. Sometimes those blades also come in contact with flesh and cause all sorts of problems like lotsa blood - your blood! Renewing a passport overseas can be very expensive and may take a long time - up to several months depending upon your country of residence. So make sure you have a passport that has lots and lots of time left on it - especially if travelling to remote or 3rd world countires. Image the costs of being stuck somewhere for 6 months trying to renew a passport! Fired from your job, miss your wedding and all those hotel expenses while you wait. Visas are critical to cross some borders and they vary by nationality (eg person from country X may enter country Z with no visa but a person from country Y cannot) so make sure you have all the ones you will need to get through your travels without any delays or diversions. If you're not sure call the relevant embassy or visit the countries tourism department for information. If you get stuck a friendly travel agent might help. Travel tickets for your onward journey and evidence of sufficient money to sustain yourself for the period of your stay may also be necessary before you are allowed to enter some countries - check it out before you make too many arrangements. You cannot depend upon finding work or even being allowed to work to fund your travels. For example; it is illegal to work in the USA without a green card but it is easy to get permission to work in Europe or Australia as a tourist. A good way to prove the level of funds you may have available is to print off a recent ATM balance before you leave home, carry it with you and show it to immigration as evidence of available funds if necessary. Border crossing can become a bit of an issue, especially if the border guard or official has had a bad night/day. It is a good idea to look as neat and clean as possible and to NOT LOSE YOUR TEMPER for any reason. Getting held up while everyone else in your group gets through can ruin a great holiday and even worse can be a body cavity search performed by a man with massive hands - avoid it at all costs. Travel and medical insurance - don't travel without it. FULL STOP! If you cannot afford insurance then you cannot afford to travel. Make sure your policy covers, at a minimum, health, electronic equipement (iPod, digital camera, etc.), baggage loss, flight insurance (for missed or cancelled flights), theft and repatriation home if necessary. Make sure that the policy will pay service providers directly and that it does not require you to pay and then seek re-imbursement later. Having to pay yourself can leave you with insufficient funds to continue your trip and in a worst case insufficient funds to pay for the service delivered (ie heart lung transplant in the US - $3,000,000). Always take out the best you can afford - can you afford that $3,000,000 for that new heart and lung? Read the small print. Some policies will NOT cover pre-existing conditions or will not cover what they consider dangerous activities such as parachuting, white-water rafting, etc. Some companies will also refuse to pay on a claim if you have broken the law or disregarded you own Governments travel advice. Check out Travel Nomads for insurance. Back to top Get the TicketThere are a number of things you need to know before you head off and get those tickets. Work out all the places you want to visit and determine if you need to arrange flights with stopovers in various countries. Determine the length of your holiday and when you can leave and when you need to return.Once you know your destinations and timings get your travel tickets to fit in and buy ALL your tickets at one go as it will work out cheaper and will give you sure timings for departures and arrives. Don't forget that you need to book airline tickets first BEFORE you book accommodation, car hire, show tickets, tours, or pay for anything other than luggage, clothing, travel guides or maps. Sometimes you cannot get tickets for the days you want so you need to be flexible and if you have pre-booked lots of stuff you might not get to your destination on the day you have selected. So, get the airline tickets first or you might be up for quite a bit of expense and time re-arranging various bookings. Now, with your flight bookings in hand, plan the timing for the rest of your trip and make necessary bookings. Book accommodation, theatre tickets, train travel and other short flights you know you will be making. Do not make bookings for things you might not attend or places you might not go - attempts to get refunds can be very time consuming and frustrating and some organisation will not pay a refund. Be ready to pay a flight or departure tax. Some countries will require that these taxes be paid so make sure you have enough money (in local funds) to pay - having to convert foreign funds can be expensive. Myths
Budget airlines and cheap ways to travel are things you should keep your eye out for if you are budget challenged. The only real disadvantage is that most budget airlines only fly major routes so they are fine for flights from and to capital and major cities. If you need to take those short hops to strange and out of the way places you'll probably have to use a local carrier (ie Air Zimbabwe or some such). Also budget airlines are 'frills free.' If you want something to eat or drink you might have to supply it yourself so be ready to take bottles of water and tons of snacks aboard for a long flight. If you do have to get as meal or drink on a budget flight expect to pay for it. Note that these flights are NOT for those in illhealth or with children - get on a carrier that can offer you some comfort and maybe even a bit of childcare. Charter flights are also a good way to grab a bargain if ones available. A friend caught a charter flight from London to Greece that came with 5 days accommodation in Athens - just where he wanted to go for the first leg of his Meditteranean trip. He purposefully missed the return flight because he wanted to travel around and the charter flight was cheaper than a one-way flight with a regular airline - especially as it has the accommodation included. Back to top Finding a Place to StayOnce you have booked your airline it's time to start to think about where to stay. There is usually a very wide array of choice in any major, and most minor, cities and towns. Choice really only runs out in the smallest of places that are well off-the-beaten-track.If you are travelling to popular destinations in high- or mid-season it's a very good idea to book before you leave home - it's also not a bad idea in low-season as sometimes it's better to have paid for it all before you leave (mind you only pre-pay for accommodation if you are sure you will arrive on the days you have booked). But it's not as critical in low-season as it is always possible to find a place to stay. At the very least book your first nights accommodation in a good hotel with good bathing facilities as you may well really appreciate a great soak in a hot bath or a long hot shower after a tedious time-consuming weary flight. That first night i the most ctitical because the next day you can start to shop around for someplce that might better suit your needs. Keep a list of all pre-booked accommodation with contact details, addresses and planned arrive times and dates and if booking over the internet keep the print out and keep with you all booking confirmation documents. First thing the next morning head for the tourist information office (ask at your hotels front desk for directions) and ask then about accommodation that is available for the number of days you plan to stay at this destination and that has the price and facilities you want - they are the best source of information you can find. Today it is easy and safe to book your accommodation over the internet and the advantage is that you can do it all when and where you want so that the whole proceedure fits in with your life rather than you having to go to a travel agency when you may have better things to do. Also you may, if you book early enough in advance, get significant price reductions. Booking accommodation near the action is always the best place to stay. It makes those long, sometimes confusing walks late at night back to the hotel, a lot easier. You will also cut down on the costs of local transport (taxis, public transport, etc.) which can certainly mount up in large cosmopolitan cities (try catching a taxi from one side of London to the other and then try to tell me travel isn't expensive!). Another potential downfall of staying too far from the places you want to get to is that in some countires public transport stops after rush-hour and sometimes stops all together on weekends and other religious days. B&B's, pensione and budget hotel all basically mean the same thing all over Europe. Good cheap accommodation! Don't pass these places by as they can be excellent value for money. Back to top MoneyBy now you know where you're going, when you're off and where you're going to be heading to and maybe even booked your accommodation. But you will still need access to more money while you're away - there are souveneirs, entrance fees, local transport, meals, tips, coffee's, tea and scones, etc., etc. that you will need to pay for as you travel to all these incredible places you're planning to visit.Ensure you have at least two different sources of funds with you on your travels - it can be very frustrating if you lose your one and only credit card. So make sure you have two cards kept in two different places, backup cash, Travellers Cheques (see comment below re: travellers cheques) or a source of funds that can be sent to you at short notice from back home (we prefer the 2 card approach - mind you we use debit cards with an overdraft option rather than credit cards - travelling on credit means you can't afford to travel). Make sure your card/s are Cirrus or Maestro affiliated and you will be able to draw out funds in any ATM anywhere in the world. Always have some emergency cash money with you in US dollars, Japanese Yen or Euros - about US$500 should be sufficient to see you through if necessary. Forget about Travellers cheques - they are an expensive way to carry and exchange money, many businesses today will NOT redeem them and too often the banks are closed when you need to cash some of them. But they are a very secure way of carrying money but are really not worth it. ALWAYS use a money belt to secure your money and passport and make sure you wear it under your clothes - or buy a pouch that you can hang around your neck and under your shirt - keep it out of sight. They can be purchased at travel shops. It may be a bit difficult to get at your money but it is well worth the security they offer. DO NOT USE A BUM BAG! They can be taken from you in less than a second. Some money saving ideas if on a budgetNever change one currency for another in a third country. You will be slugged for the exchange fees twice over. Change US dollars for Indian Rupees in Singapore and they first; exchange your US Dollars into Singaporeans Dollars and slug you an exchange fee. Then they take those same Singaporean Dollars and exchange them into Indian Rupees and slug you another exchange fee - it ends up being very expensive for large exchange amounts. It is generally best to change currencies in your destination country (ie change your Australian Dollars into Japanese Yen in Japan).Alcohol can be very expensive in some countries (like $12 for a glass of beer in some Scandanavian countries - not that cheap in the USofA either). Buy drinks in a supermarket or bottle shop and you can save a lot on money. Wash clothes in the shower, wash basin or bath at your hotel and hang them up in the bedroom to dry. Using hotel or public laudromats can become expensive - if you can even find them. Often places worth a visit can be free or have cut price days - check them out and get there when it's cheapest. Some restaurants don't diplay their prices which can lead to gasps of dismay if you're not careful. Either go and find a place to eat that advertises the price or ask. Some restaurants will charge you for sitting down (common in Italy and France) so check it out before you sit or be safe and stand and eat/drink at the bar. Always use phone cards when using phones, especially when phoning overseas. Costs can be cut by upwards of 80% by using these cards. Find the cheapest for the country you will be calling the most - home? Things are always cheaper in the countryside so don't hang about citiers all the time. There are also wonderful places to go that are not Rome, LA, London, Tokyo or Berlin. Buy food and clothes in markets as they are cheaper places to buy food than restaurants or even try a supermarket. Make up your own meals - try sitting on the bank of the Seine with a hunk of cheese and a French loaf you just bought at the local food market - blissful and cheap! In poor countries it is safe to eat the local food! But make sure that it is either peelable fruit that YOU peal, fresh fruit (non-peelable) and vegetables that you have washed with bottled water or that the food is streaming hot - make sure you see it steaming as the heat will kill the germs that will cause you the most problems. Back to top Packing your GearPacking is an important part of your pre-trip planning. Leaving something behind may not be important if you're heading off to a major destination where you can probably buy what you need. But travel well off the beaten-track (where the best adventures are usually found) and you could be in trouble.Make sure you can easily identify you luggage. You can get something that has a unique colour or tie a coloured ribbon around the handle - anything that will make your stuff stand out from the crown. It will make it far easier to find in insode a mound of like coloured black backpacks or cases. Check your carry-on luggage allowance and stick to it. If you try and take too much onboard you may be forced to leave it behind or catch a later flight; which can be a very difficult decision to make. If you are using cases then make sure they have wheels and a retractable handles that are long enough for you to pull without having to bend over - carrying or pulling luggage for long distances can really take it out of you. Also make sure that the wheels are wide enough apart to stop the case from flipping over. Make sure that fully packed cases are comfortably to lift with one arm. If they are too heavy they will become a real burden and impossible to move if you have more than one. If you're a backpacker then make sure that the pack has good lower back support - this means that it has a belt that can be fastened around the waist. Also make sure that the shoulder straps can be adjusted. A backpack that only has shoulder straps (or even worse just one strap that crosses the front of your body) may look great and be the height of fashion and be available in your favourite colour but you will suffer a lot of pain if you buy one of those monstrosities. Knowing what to pack can be harder to work out than what to pack it into but there are a few simple ideas that will help a lot. Packing light does not mean a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Wearing those types of clothes will invariably label you as a tourist in almost any country and if you are wearing trainers (or thongs [not what YOU might think they are but rather light rubberised shoes available all over Australia] if you're an Aussie) will just heighten the problem. A good rule of thumb is to lay out everything you think you'll need and then put at least half of it back. Always remain aware of your destination - your electrical goods might not work over there because of differences in power supply [put all the electrical stuff back], heading to Australia in Summer [all the winter clothes go back]. Are you going to be invited to dine with the Queen? Probably not, so get rid of anything that looks formal. Be savage! You will be happy you were later on in your trip. But there is one other way as well. Take whatever you like as long as you will be happy to put it into a trash can at some stage when you discover it's just a pain carrying it around all over the place. Make sure you have good shoes. Sightseeing often requires a lot of walking and painful blistered feet are not a good thing to end up with. A pair of comfortable, black, rubber soled shoes that will clean up a bit with just a damp cloth will be good for any eventuality - like that dinner with the Queen if it happens. When it comes to clothes be savage. Don't take a thick winter coat even if you think you'll need it - use layering. Make sure you have clothes that you can wear one on top of the other to stay warm (that does mean long sleeves). Wear three pairs of socks, 2 t-shirts and a long sleeved shirt, 2 pairs of underwear and a pair of shorts under your long trousers - if you need to stay warm. Those same cloths will work fine (just with a few less layers) when you find yourself in warmer climates as well. A jacket (wind and waterproof) or a jumper can be worth it depending on your destination. Please be aware that in some countries you will need to dress conservatively and this applies to both men and women. Do not humiliate, anger or embarass those people you have come to visit. Take a good sized and sturdy rubbish bag to hold your dirty laundry. Takes up no room and will prove very useful. For the smaller items pick from the following list as you think appropriate depending upon your destination (be aware that you can buy toothpase in any country in the world it's just that if you cannot read the label you may end up brushing your teeth with the local rectal cream) and the length of the trip;
Air TravelLong haul air travel, especially in economy/tourist/pack-em-in class can get very uncomfortable and boring. In an attempt to ease some of these negatives we hope some of the following might help:
Back to top Health & SafetyHealthA long trip can, not only be tiring, but can also reduce your bodies ability to maintain your health. Be aware of the need to eat and sleep well on any trip but particularly if you are away from home for an extended period.
SafetyBe aware that the world is not always a perfect place or free of danger. You need to be aware of where you are and of the environment in which you find yourself. Taking a little care and a bit of thought can can improve your health, save your money and maybe even your life.
Back to top Other stuffThese pages have covered quite a lot of travel tips but no structured system of chapters can cover everything. So we have had to resort to a Misc. section to cover those items that are not amenable to seperation into sections.Keep in touch It is important to your loved ones and probably to you as well that you keep in touch. Your friends and relatives want to know you're okay and what's happening and we're sure you want to tell everyone how everything is going. The easiest way to do that is to:
Electronic bits and pieces can be a real problem in some countires. Plugs can differ, voltages are all over the place (the EU was supposed to standardise on 220v but the reality is that it can range from a high of 240 in the UK to a low of 125 in some older buildings in Europe - do NOT plug a 220v appliance into 125v it can be dangerous. A 220v appliance is okay in 240v) and camera batteries can be hard to find. Plugs can be different around the world and therefore you may need to buy an adaptor before you leave home. Do not expect to be able to buy the correct adaptor once you have left as each country only stocks plug that plug thier electronic gear into sockets of other countires not other countries into their sockets. You may also need to make sure you have a transformer or, more likely today, equipement that can handle all the different voltage ranges. Buying DVD's can be a problem overseas because different countries use different codexes - in other words the USA uses NTSC as a coding mechanism for video but others use PAL or SECAM and you may need the rightly coded DVD before it will play back home. Check your player before you go so you know what it will or won't play just to be safe. There is also the 'zones' problem. DVD's can be 'coded' to play on machines that have been set up with a particular regional zone and they will not play on players that have been set up with a different zone. So you may need to check which zone your machine has been set to. This is not so much of a problem these days as many players are now sold with 'all zones' as a default. Digital cameras are really the way to go when travelling unless you're professional photographer and then you know exactly what you need to do and need no advice from us. Firstly make sure you use lithium batteries as the alkaline ones won't last very long. Take a spare set of batteries with you and a recharger. Buy the largest memory module you can afford and have a spare (use the one that came with the camera, which is usully rather small, as your backup). To be safe burn your pics onto CD at every opportunity or take a hard-drive backup system with you. Bargaining can be an artform but it can also be cruel and un-necessary. If buying a diamond ring in Milan then bargain for all you are worth but when in countires like India and Egypt it can be forcing someones child to do without an evening meal. Do not use your wealth and position to destroy us it to help. A few pennies is nothing to you but can mean a lot to some. Litter can be a real problem in some places. When you're in towns and cities it's easy to get rid of your garbage - it goes in the bin. But in some other places such as in the middle of a bushwalk or climbing to Mount Everest base-camp you need to take your garbage with you and get rid of it in a proper manner. Stay on marked tracks if in wild or remote areas. Getting lost can be dangerous! In other areas such as national parks the tracks are often laid down because people walking all over the place can destroy what those people have come to see. Hardian's Wall in the north of England is being destroyed by hikers walking on the wall itself - a monument to Rome that has survived for over 1400 years is being destroyed by those who love it - don't join their ranks - please. Plant or animal items should not be taken out of countries unless you are sure it's legal. They are often protected by law and may not be allowed into your own country either because of quarantine laws. You could end up in a foreign prison for a long time - drugs are not the only contrbrand around. If you need to go to the toilet and there are no public conveniences make sure you dig a hole at least 15 cms (6 inches) deep and then cover it over once you have finished. Do NOT defacate or urinate into a lake or river, or even near one, as often this is a source of drinking or bathing water and the spread of disease this way can be fatal. Eat well (lots of greens and carbs). It is safe to eat what the locals eat in 'unhygenic' countires as long as it is HOT (tempurature hot - if it's steaming then it's safe). Beware of food that is washed or wet as sometimes the water supply can be contaminated. If you're worried wash the food yourself with bottled water which is safe and can be found anywhere in the world today. A hospital stay can really ruin your holiday. Not only could it mean that all your flight and tour connections are useless but your hotel bookings are probably all gone as well and the festivals have finished and you'll have to try and get to them next year if you have the time and money. But that's not the worst of it. You could, in some countries without a public health system, be up for significant costs and if you have to be repatriated home then there is the cost of that as well and it's NOT cheap. There is also the problem that in some countries even if there is a public health system a requirement that your family bring in your food and see to your comfort - how you do that when your nearest family member is 5,000 miles away? The best you can do is either beg your room partners (in many hospitals you will not find private rooms but rather large wards filled with patients) family to look after you as well or pay a local to feed you and clean your clothes. Also sometimes the food you're offered in foreign hospitals can look strange to say the least - 'Green slime on dog droppings' has been one description we've heard. Rest can be critical when travelling. Make sure you can get a good nights sleep and maybe take opportunites to relax during the day - sit down and have a break. Take a good book with you. Many a long train or bus trip needs a book to pass the time and there are always those dreary wet rainy days when you just can't get out. Take a book that you KNOW you will want to read. In non-native speaking countries it can be very frustrating trying to communicate. But if you speak one of the worlds major languages it should not to be to difficult to find someone to help. But always be aware that finding someone who speaks your language is a privilage and not a right! Do NOT get angry, wave your arms around, speak loudly, be arrogant or rude if people cannot communiate in your language - after all you obviously can't speak theirs otherwise they wouldn't be a problem. Depressing days will come. There will be times you just want to Go Home! Don't panic it happens to us all at times. Try to work out what's going on. Maybe this is your fiirst birthday away from home, it's New Years Day and you're stuck in the middle of a monsoon with rain running down your back inside your clothes. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed because you haven't heard a word in your own language for three weeks - read something, anything, in your own language. That will help a lot in these situations - or what about that book we suggested you take along? Myths
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