World Travellers

Stewart Palmer our expert of the day, writes:

One of the best travel tips for people thinking of going on any kind of trekking or adventure vacation with friends or family is to first consider whether their personal enthusiasm for this style of holiday is shared by the rest of the group.

The following story of a family’s holiday nightmare in Thailand provides an example.

The family had enjoyed a few days of a beach resort holiday in Thailand when the husband suggested that they go off on a jungle experience, organized by one of the trekking and adventure tour operators. His wife was not enthusiastic but decided to go along with the proposal because she knew that this was something her husband had always wanted to do. Their seven year old son sounded as keen as his dad and their five year old daughter seemed happy enough with the idea too. The other family member was a two-year-old boy.

Samuel Martin our expert of the day, writes:

To help your business compete, here are a few tips to make your traveling expenses a little more palatable.

* Search for cheap airfares. Internet search engines provide a great resource for cheap fares. Be sure to get on these sites’ e-mail lists so you stay abreast of specials.

* Avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol at meals can boost your bill. Stay away from adult beverages and you will be much happier when the check arrives.

* Stay in and watch a movie. By simply staying in your room at night and not going to bars or nightclubs, you can save yourself a lot of cash.

Josh Stone our expert of the day, writes:

Traveling to Pittsburgh is always a great option there are so many wonderful activities that you can do, and so much stuff that can keep you busy for any length of time you decide to go on vacation. There are some tips you can follow though to ensure that you are traveling as safely as possible.

First, always remember that it is best to travel with as little cash as possible. Take a debit card or prepaid check card when you are going on vacation. The reason for this is because cash is not replaceable in the event that it is stolen. However, cards allow you to have any money that is stolen replaced without having too many problems. This makes taking a card to use much safer and easier.

Ziv Haparnas our expert of the day, writes:

Don’t you like going through your vacations photos? We all take pictures when we go on a vacation. It is a great way to perpetuate the experience and remember it for years to come. However sometimes taking pictures is not smooth. Unexpected problems pop up such as running out of film, running out of battery or just forgetting the camera in the hotel. In this article we will provide a few easy to follow tips that will help you in carrying your camera and taking pictures.

The first decision when taking a camera with you on a trip is which camera to take. One of the common mistakes people do when traveling is taking a camera that does not fit their needs. For example they take a high end heavy camera just to leave it in the hotel room since it is too hard to carry with them. It is important to take the right camera for the trip. For example if you are going to be walking a lot or trekking it is better to have a lighter weight smaller camera. If you are going to be driving a lot you can take heavier equipment and more accessories. You should also match the camera to the destination and to your photography level. If your goal is to capture memories a cheap small camera is more than enough. If your goal is to take high quality photos for future enlargements a professional high resolution camera is adequate.

Jay Ellenby our expert of the day, writes:

Avoid walking alone or traveling to remote places after dark; avoid poorly lit streets and narrow alleys.

Do not wear flashy jewelry.

Avoid public demonstrations, accidents or civil disturbances.

Do not engage in loud conversations or arguments.

Avoid discussing personal matters with people you do not know.

Keep a phrase book handy.

Know how to use the pay phones in the country you are visiting, and carry exact change in local currency.

Avoid bringing any unnecessary attention to yourself.

Tonya Kopp our expert of the day, writes:

Planning a vacation or going on business out of town? Whether this is your first trip or the fortieth, a nod to common sense and a few practical pointers will not only streamline your journey, but also enhance your experience by making it safer, easier and more fun.

Planning Your Journey
Be sure to familiarize yourself with your destination. The Internet is an excellent resource for researching the area you will be visiting, and many visitor centers will also send a welcome packet for a nominal fee - as well as answer any questions by phone. Things that you should know before you leave include: the address and specific location of your hotel, the exact route to get there and hotel check in time. Also be aware of any specifics you might need en route, such as money for cab fare or toll roads, and carry a decent map of the region in case all else fails and you get lost. A cell phone is always a good idea in case of complications as well - be sure to have emergency numbers handy to contact your family, employer, etc. if necessary.

Lizzie Scott our expert of the day, writes:

Even if you opt for cheap travels, it should remain fun and exciting. The way to enjoy your cheap travels is to travel smart. One of the most important considerations when traveling is money. You can save money by selecting cheaper accommodation and airfares.

And on your travel, it is extremely important to keep your travel money safe. Most seasoned travelers and travel experts recommend keeping valuables in a hidden wallet or travel pouch, either wrapped around your waist under your clothes or hung around your neck under your shirt.

Another great travel tip is to reduce the chance of theft by keeping majority of your cash in the hotel’s safe. Take out enough for each day to pay for necessary items. When using credit cards, make sure that the establishment or shop looks alright. Credit cards provide valuable consumer protection and the best currency exchange rates as well.

Kelly Liyakasa our expert of the day, writes:

If you’re going away for the holidays this year, you’re probably unhappily anticipating a hike in gas prices, long lines at airport security and delays all-around. According to the Bureau of Transportation, Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season are the busiest long-distance travel times in a given year. While travelers cannot avoid hefty waits at check-in and traffic on the highway, there are plenty of measures to take in order to alleviate any holiday season travel stress.

• Know when to travel: For local excursions, people tend to leave on Thursdays. If traveling over 100 miles away, Wednesday through Sunday are the most popular days.

• About 90% of Thanksgiving travel is through one’s vehicle.

• The Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving are the busiest days to travel back home. If you book a flight or drive on Tuesday, you’ll avoid a lot of traffic.

Zeal our expert of the day, writes:

Drive Campervan Safely

If you are experienced driver then you already know that driving campervan is something different then driving a car or any normal 4WD. For your successful campervan travel, every one should be aware of some safe sides, some helpful tips and also some dangerous circumstances which may be exist during your trip.

If you are going to hire campervan then you must be careful about the vehicle equipment and other basic things. And if you owned the campervan then you must check all fundamentals of the vehicle.

Before Leaving You Should:

Check your vehicle that it is fully equipped or not.

Check mirror of the vehicle and adjust it optimal for road scene.

Take enough food and water storage.

Alan Hawkins our expert of the day, writes:

Have you ever experienced a serious disaster whilst on holiday? If not, it’s merely a matter of time. It has been said there are two kinds of travellers, those that have experienced a problem holiday and those that are still going to.

Tasked with identifying the top ten travel tips immediately got my mind going but an idea soon took shape. Why not use the experiences of the professionals, ask them to identify the more common causes of problems when travelling. Unbeknown to me this certainly dropped the cat amongst the pigeons, largely because limiting this to only ten became a problem, thank you so much to all those who were a part of the panel.