Travel Articles

This topic is a hot one. My previous job was as a travel consultant for one of the largest travel consulting agencies in the world and I have traveled to over 22 countries in the past 8 years, and have booked travel using every method possible.

The truth is, it really depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put into planning your trip. Planning and purchasing something as simple as a round trip flight online could not be easier and I highly recommend it to save money and time. It requires very little information and thought. Travel agencies charge for their service, and that charge could be between $20.00 - $200.00, depending on the flight and destination. As well, there is nothing that the travel agent can provide for you that the internet cannot.

If you are planning a larger trip, with multiple destinations, internal flights or tourist attractions, booking online could be a bit more work. Having said that, it is still not that hard. It is just a matter of doing your research. If you are planning a trip to Spain and are planning to travel on to Italy by boat afterwards you would simply have to search the information on busses or trains for your overland travel in Spain, and the ferry information for your boat to Italy. Sometimes you are able to pre-purchase your internal travel or tourist attraction tickets online, sometimes you can take care of it when you arrive at the location.

However, if the research is something that you do not have time for, or you feel a bit more secure having your trip planned by someone who does this as a profession, a travel agent may be the answer for you. They have the ability use a plethora of travel resources and their experienced co-workers, but this will come at an extra cost for their service.

Here is an example of a fairly large trip I planned as a travel agent. Two clients of mine wanted to travel to the UK for 3 weeks. They asked me to plan everything from international and domestic flights to the hotels and travel insurance. By the time that this entire trip was booked and paid for, the clients ended up paying roughly $500.00 more than they would have online. As a travel agent in this particular company, as with many companies, you are expected to mark your products up, and are penalized for not doing so. The clients did not see this mark up as it was hidden in the grand total.

Everything that I planned and booked for these clients could have been booked online. As a travel agent I had access to a few cheaper hotels than they would have found online, but as a travel agent, I was expected to mark them up! The security of having them reserved and paid for when they arrived was worth it to these senior citizen travelers. Travel agents are not rip off artists, but it is part of their job to "mark it up".

Amanda Rhyno writes on travel and travel related issues. For more information visit http://rhyno81.blogspot.com and http://rhyno8102.blogspot.com

Traveling to unfamiliar destinations can bring to you the sort of troubles you do not want to experience while on the road namely: robbery, rape, or murder. Tourists often fall prey to perpetrators because they do not prepare properly before embarking on a trip. Let's examine some things you should do to prevent your travels from becoming a tragedy:

1. Never list your home address on the luggage tag. If on business, put the company's address on the tag; if visiting friends you can list their address. Use covered luggage tags as well.

2. Stay with your luggage until the luggage is checked. If you must put your bag down, keep one foot on the handle.

3. Carry important papers with you; NEVER check anything that you simply cannot afford to lose. Photocopy your passport, driver's license and credit cards.

4. Bring a small flashlight. You never know when you'll suddenly be "in the dark" and find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. At night, keep your flashlight by your bed.

5. Make sure that your prescription medicines are filled properly and labeled accurately. In some countries certain prescription medicines are forbidden.

6. Never wear anything that projects affluence. No gold chains, expensive watches and rings, luggage, or other paraphernalia should be in easy view. Better yet: leave your jewelry at home.

7. If possible travel with only one or two credit cards.

8. Women particularly should never accept a drink from a stranger. Keep an eye on your drink at all times.

9. Vary your schedule; try not to come and go at the same time everyday.

10. Only stay in a hotel that uses cards to open room doors and make sure your room has a peephole and a deadbolt lock. Secure the chain and secure the door by pushing a rubber stop under it.

11. Stay in a room near a stairwell. Never take the elevator if a fire or smoke is detected. Always stay in a hotel where the doors enter the hallway and not directly from the outside.

12. Do not wear name tags in public.

13. Do not use unmarked taxi cabs.

14. Sit behind the driver so you can see him, but he cannot see you.

15. Pay the driver upon arriving at your destination and while you are still sitting in the vehicle.

16. If you must rent a car, rent only from a reputable company. Any operating problems that occur could signal sabotage.

17. Be aware of 'staged' car accidents meant to catch you off card.

18. Back into your parking spaces to facilitate a quick exit.

19. Park only in well lit and well traveled areas.

20. If your cell phone does not work outside of the country, consider renting one that does for the duration of your trip.

21. If detained for whatever reason by an official, ask for identification. If in doubt, tell them that you want to see his superior. Keep your emotions in check.

22. If traveling with children, bring along an updated photograph of each child in the event that you become separated from them.

23. Write your child's name and your hotel number on each card; include a close friend's or relative's contact information on the card. Give a card to each child which they will carry with them as long as you are away. Destroy once home.

24. Discuss with your family what they would do in event of an emergency while away from home, e.g. whom to call, how to contact emergency personnel, etc.

25. Do not discuss travel plans, your room number or any other personal information in public within earshot of strangers.

26. Bring along a basic first aid kit with bandages, iodine, mosquito repellant, sunscreen, alcohol packets, dramamine, pepto bismol, diarrhea medicine, etc.

27. Familiarize yourself with train and bus schedules before traveling. Have an alternate plan in place in the event your transportation plans change.

28. Do not flash your passport in public. Discreetly show important documents to officials only.

29. Consider purchasing portable alarms that emit a loud sound.

30. Watch for scams on the street. Children working with adults are notorious as pickpockets.

31. Never flash your money in public. Exchange funds with reputable and recognized exchangers only.

32. Have tips ready in advance for service personnel.

33. Consider renting an escort [security] service if traveling in areas where crime is high.

The key to safe traveling in any area is situational awareness. Distractions because of luggage, children, hotel personnel, strangers, etc. can put you at risk. Know your surroundings and stay in control of every situation.

Matt manages the Corporate Flight Attendant Community a comprehensive resource center for business flight attendants who travel throughout the world. You can visit the community at http://www.corporateflyer.net or http://www.cabinmanagers.com

The summer travel season is here and in case you didn't notice the oil companies don't care that you are paying $4.00 per gallon. Therefore I have done some research and located 5 tried and true methods by which you can do your best to make your vehicle as fuel efficient as possible.

MAP

Plan your route ahead of time. With GPS satellites and websites such as mapquest you have more tools then ever before to ensure you are taking the best route to get to where you are going. When planning your route eliminate as many left turns as possible. Left turns make you wait where as in most states you can make a right turn even on a red light.

SLOW AND STEADY

Have you ever heard the expression, slow and steady wins the race? Well I have updated that for 2008 and the saying goes, slow and steady helps save some gas. Keep this rule in mind. The faster you drive the worse your gas mileage will be. Consumer Reports recently did a study using a Toyota Camry and found driving at 65mph instead of 55mph reduced the cars mileage from 40mpg to 30mpg. That's a significant drop.

AERODYNAMIC

Ok so you aren't going to go out and buy some space aged aircraft to be more aerodynamic but you can lose that car carrier or luggage rack you have sitting on top of your vehicle. This creates drag on your vehicle which makes your car work hard to get to a certain MPH. Pack everything you need inside the vehicle.

LEARN HOW TO DRIVE

Ok this one is a bit harsh but it needs to be said. According to Consumer Reports hard accelerating and braking can reduce your fuel economy by up to 20%. Maintain an even speed whenever possible and use cruise control if your car has it.

OFF WHEN STOPPED

Guess what? Idling gets you zero miles per gallon. If you aren't moving or going anywhere turn the car off. If you are stopping at a fast food restaurant, forgo the drive thru and go inside. If you must go through a drive thru and are just sitting there then turn your engine off. If you are going to sit there for more than 30 second then shut your car's engine off.

As you can see there is nothing extraordinary or mind boggling about these techniques. However if you start implementing them you can help save yourself some money on gas.

About the Author: Mr. Podlesny is a freelance writer. You can read more of his gas saving tips by Clicking here, or by visiting his MySpace Blog.