In my travel adventures, I have managed to miss out on the joy of meeting bedbugs (Cimex lectularius). There is signficant fear from many about these critters. Bedbugs are tiny small wingless insects that feed by exclusively on the blood of warm blooded animals. Humans, are therefore, ideal hosts for them. Bed bugs feed every five to ten days. The peak feeding time for a bed bug is about one hour before sunrise. They pierce the skin of the host with two microscopic hollow tubes. One tube injects saliva which contains anaesthetics and anticoagulants, so that the…
Travel Tips (Monday)
Category Archives for Travel Tips (Monday).
Thai Army takes full control in Coup -imposes curfew.
The Royal Thai Army have taken full control of Thailand, dismissing the government on Thursday 22nd May, 2014 16:30h local time. General Prayuth said in Bangkok today: ‘To restore peace back to the country in a short time and to reform the country’s politics, economy and society, the Thai military, army, navy, air force and police have seized power from May 22 onward”. The country is now being run by a body known as The National Peace and Order Maintaining Council (NPOMC). General Prayuth also said.“I ask the people to remain calm and carry on with their business…
Martial Law in Thailand- Staying Safe [Updated]
Update: Thursday 22nd May, 2014 16:30h Local Time : The Situation in Thailand has changed and the army has taken full control dismissing the government. Its food is unparalleled, beaches beautiful, people lovely, shopping bargains superb and reputation for wild and fun times unsurpassed. Sadly Thailand also has a history and a culture for military interventions for nine decades. According to media sources, the Royal Thai Army declared martial law nationwide at 3am Tuesday 20 May local time (Monday, 19 May: 8pm GMT or 1pm US West Coast time). Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said the…
Know anything about Lyft
Has anyone used Lyft? Lyft is a smartphone app that seems to match drivers with people looking for rides in several key cities across the USA. When the ride ends, the app automatically charges payment from the passenger’s saved credit card. Lyft also provide drivers with additional excess insurance, including a $1M liability insurance. The company says: “Passengers and drivers rate each other. If you rate someone 3 stars or below, you’ll never be matched with them again.” I am curious to know if it works. I also could not see pricing on the website. Any information or…
Protecting Data & Identity On the Road
When I first travelled, I carried a moneybelt into which I put my passport and money. I knew having my money or documents stolen put me at risk. I no longer wear a money belt having developed other strategies (but still keep my stuff safe). Today there are a group of thieves that aren’t interested in pickpocketing but instead want your bank account details and computer passwords. Travellers can be very vulnerable. We need strategies to avoid these targets. Here are some. 1. Choose Passwords wisely According to password management company SplashData, the top…
What to do with left over foreign coins?
One of the annoyances of travelling international is the amount of “small change” that can accumulate. In some countries, coins are used instead of small notes so at the end of a trip, you can have a surprisingly large amount of money tied up in coinage. There is a limit as to how many of these coins one wants to collect for souvenir purposes and these coins are “virtually” worthless on return as most money changers and banks only accept notes in foreign exchange transactions. Options- Spend, Save, Give Learn the coinage of the country…
Tips for not spoiling places for others
I suggested last week that it is bad luck to ruin a place for fellow tourists. Here are some tips for avoiding spoiling places you visit. Please share widely and add yours: Build greener travel into your program Follow rules in ancient sites, cities or sacred spaces. The time to assert your freedom from rules is at a nudist beach not at a 500 year old site like Machu Pichu Do not collect or take away biological or geological specimens or man-made artifacts as a souvenir, including rocks, bones, eggs, fossils, and parts or contents of…
Avoiding damaging the sights/sites
On a visit to Australia‘s Gloucester Tree, two tourists jumped as I barked at them. 350 plus years old and standing at 72 metres tall, this Karris is the second tallest fire lookout tree in the world. Over one million tourists have climbed the tree in Pemberton, Western Australia since 1947. These two tourists had decided that the tree needed their names carved into the tree and were engrossed in the task with a knife when chewed out by me . Furious at this intrusion into one of my favourite spots, I was determined to make…
Get your Rent a Car Costs down
I was talking to a friend yesterday who paid more to rent a car for three days than I would pay for a week! When I asked him why he had spent so much money, he told me he booked it from the airport counter and he always rented from the same rental company. I have written in detail about car rentals but some tips for saving money: Book in advance Use a comparison website eg Priceline, Vroomvroomvroom or expedia.com.au/Car-Hire Ditch loyalty – other companies have the same cars so I have joined more than one…
Travelling with Others (without tears)
As a people watcher, I am sometimes morbidly fascinated by what can be very public fights by fellow travellers. You have probably spotted couples not talking for days or having screaming fights in the middle of airports, hotels and train stations. I know friends who have vowed never to travel with each other again. Here are some thoughts on avoiding frustrations with your travel mates: 1. Choose Your Travel Companion(s) Carefully Be aware that if you find someone’s behaviours irritating on a day to day basis, then on a trip any irritation will be magnified…
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