Travel Tips - Get Organized
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
Scotland then a Northern Winter gives you the best chance.If you have
a limited budget then traveling 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 seasonsSeasons
HighMediumLowMonsoon June - AugustMay,
SeptemberOctober - April
During Spring and Summer in countries near the equator
August is the warmest month of the
year with June and July being the most popular time to travel for most
people. If you don't like very cold weather avoid December - February.
April, May and September can be wonderful but can still be very cold in
the far north. If you want to see a white Christmas then December is the
time but be aware that snow cannot be guaranteed except, probably, at the
North Pole. Also the further north you travel the long the summer days and
the winter nights.
Southern Hemisphere flight seasonsSeasons
HighMediumLowMonsoon December - MarchApril,
September- NovemberMay - AugustCyclone season is in the Summer
In most southern
hemisphere-based countries summer stretches from December - February. This
is when you will find the largest numbers of tourists and locals out and
about but if you really want to get away from the crowds you need to avoid
December - January. The long days and nights occur here as well - it's
just that you have to head south to experience them.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.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 lots of 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 traveling to remote or 3rd world countries.
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 equipment (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-reimbursement 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.
This article is copyrighted by Lance Chambers a senior partner at
web: accommodationnear .com You are at liberty to copy and distribute
it as long as no changes are made to the content and this bio is
included as is.
http://visaaustralia24.com
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