Laptops are a great boon for travel. They allow you to blog, capture photos, send emails and skype cheaply and make travel plans as you go. They are also a time waster, can cause you to not engage with whats happening around you as you travel. Think carefully before a trip as to whether you need your IT. If two of you are travelling consolidate your electronics! It amazes me when I see couples carrying multiple smartphones, two laptops, two (or more) iPads, two kindles, and two cameras. Check that your insurer covers damage and…
Travel Tips (Monday)
Category Archives for Travel Tips (Monday).
Ten tips to not leave stuff behind
It is a horrible feeling to realise that you have left something important or valuable in a hotel room, on a bus or in a taxi. I have lost a small amount of stuff over the last 49 years of travel. Some steps to reducing: Take less stuff Avoid travelling with valuables- assume you can and will lose whatever you take and ask yourself “is it worth the risk” Label stuff with your name and email/phone Place a shoe on top of or right next to your hotel safe. This will make you think twice before forgetting stuff…
Getting Stuck or Delayed
Murphy’s law states that “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. We travel thousands of miles in complex machines and most of the time it actually doesn’t go wrong. I am amazed over the distances and hours I have spent travelling, how lucky I have been. But sometimes it does. Weather, mechanics, people and electronics can all conspire to derail your travel plans. 1. Do your research-some flights, some airlines and some airports can have a notorious reputation for delays. Choose a better option 2. Check the airline’s website or Twitter feed before leaving…
Greener Travel Tips
There are fairly simple things ways we can help reduce carbon emissions, pollution and degradation: 1. Select a destination with good rankings in terms of environmental protection. The online site Ethical Travel rates countries based on an environmental performance, social welfare and human rights The ten best ethical destinations for 2013 ( in alphabetical order ): Barbados Cape Verde -striving to reach 300% renewable energy- moving away from fossil fuels Costa Rica -signed a ban on shark finning Ghana- announced new taxes to establish appropriate prices for natural and environmental capital to provide incentives for reducing…
All about Renting a Car
Booking My two favourite car rental sites are Priceline and vroomvroomvroom.com. With Priceline you bid for a price and when it is accepted you are “locked into that deal”. Only choose Priceline if your plans are certain and you have ascertained what the cheapest deal is already. The other disadvantage with Priceline, is that if prices drop, you are locked in.Having said that, I have used Priceline to get cars at almost half the price. vroomvroomvroom.com compares all available deals from a location allowing you to choose the price, car type and company that you…
Driving on the wrong side of the road
An endless source of discussion with international friends is the division of the world into countries that drive on the left and countries that drive on the right. Which side is “wrong”? For my US friends, Australia drives on the “wrong side”. We feel the opposite. My understanding is that up to the 17th century, all rode on the left. In fact, in 1300AD, Pope Boniface VIII stated that all pilgrims heading to Rome should keep left. Napoleon reversed this. Some say because he could. Others say because he was left-handed and others so he…
What floor am I on?
At a shopping centre in Bangkok, I asked for directions to the lavatory “second floor sir” For a moment, I paused, as my brain processed the information: “when she said ‘second floor’ what does she mean?” The world is divided into different types of conventions regarding how to count the levels of buildings: 1. The Ground floor is numbered 1 and all subsequent floors follow. In this case my lavatory would be a short escalator ride up one floor. 2. The ground floor is labelled G, the floor above is 1 so my lavatory would be…
Saving money and finding my way with “For Less” Guides
When travelling, I like to collect as many discount coupons or deals as I can. I like getting my two for one deal and 20 percent off. As long as they are genuine discounts, I am happy! I don’t think I am alone?! The For Less Guides gather discounts for restaurants, tours and attractions onto one free Iphone or Ipad app for Amsterdam, London, New York and San Francisco (and soon Paris). There are claims that American users save on average 50 Euros per day in Amsterdam. As usual with any discount scheme, some of the discounts are more useful than…
Protect your Bags!
Something to strike fear into the hearts of passengers who check bags in. Italian authorities 18 months ago, installed hidden cameras at several airports across Italy. Police then viewed over 2,000 hours of footage taken by these cameras. The footage showed Alitalia baggage handlers deliberately picking luggage locks, cutting open suitcases and stealing money, electronics, jewellery and other items. One employee was taped while attempting to break into a suitcase by stabbing it multiple times. Take a look: The Italian National Police arrested 86 Alitalia employees as a result of the footage. The thefts occurred on board Alitalia planes and in areas…
Keeping track of exchange rates
Look up the monetary conversion rates before you go. Finding out that your dollars won’t go as far as they do back home is a nasty shock. I use currency xe online – its also a downloadable app If you prefer a paper based tool, gocurrency has a tool that allows you to perform a currency calculation and print it on paper tuck into your wallet or handbag.
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