Pick a travel destination

Archive for December, 2009

Planning your business trip wisely will free you from lots of trouble. Inadequate airline seats, long lines, heavy traffic, and unavailable hotel rooms are just some of the problems a business traveler might encounter. Despite the emergence of e-commerce, businessmen still travel more often for sales and business shows. Here are some tips to make your business travel a successful one:

1. Plan your business trip long before you leave the office.

2. Always prepare a travel bag with complete necessities to be used on any emergency trips.

3. Bring some ready to eat foods, it will save you a substantial amount of money, considering the high cost of foods in hotels.

4. Be sure to have a buffer time between your flight and your scheduled meeting.

5. Choose aircraft that has better seats with ample leg room.

6. Put all your valuable materials in a small carry-on bag.

7. When calling your main office, use the 800 numbers as much as possible because it’s much cheaper.

8. If you’re a businesswoman, it is important to dress well. Additionally, you must bring casual clothes for your free time.

Not all hotels have inexpensive telecommunication systems from their rooms, so always choose your hotel’s business floor, for these rooms are made especially for business traveler. These rooms should have dual telephone/modem lines, fax machine, and free communications between rooms. In order to save money on calls, use your calling card and place calls through your country’s long-distance carrier or find a pay phone in the hotel’s lobby. If available, use a nearby business center for your fax needs since fax service within your room will probably cost more.

These days, a business traveler has to bring a lot of electronic equipment such as; cell phones, electronic organizers, laptop computers, etc. Here are some suggestions on how to keep your expensive business items safe:

1. Put your laptop inside a bag that will not indicate that there’s a laptop inside. The same works well for other equipment such as camera, electronic organizer, etc.

2. Don’t expose your laptop to x-ray scanners at the airport security check, rather have it checked manually. X-rays could damage your electronic equipment.

3. Don’t place your laptop on the aircraft’s overhead bins; instead place it near your seat or under the seat in front of you.

4. Always bring extra batteries for your equipment.

Today’s business travelers are enjoying much comfort compared to their counterparts a few decades ago. Low airfare, plenty of airlines to choose from, communication equipment (especially cell phones and laptops) make modern day business travelers more efficient. Even on a business trip, parents can always be with their family members and co-workers can still get in touch with their office work, at least virtually.

Norway, a Nordic country lying on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula is located in Northern Europe. It also borders Sweden, Finland and Russia. Norway is an outstandingly beautiful country with a long coastline, snowy mountains and breathtaking fjords.  Oslo is the capital of Norway and also the largest city. Norway is bestowed with lots of natural beauty encompassing wild forests, historic towns and beautiful fishing villages. The country is very hospitable to the tourists and people are very friendly too. Many tourists are attracted by the famous midnight sun of the Arctic. All three big cities of Norway offer different experiences to visitors.  Norway is a place to be for nature lovers and for cultural enthusiasts. Norway is truly one of the greatest tourist destinations of Europe.

The population of Norway is only 4.6 million and the official languages being spoken are Bokmal Norwegian and Nynorsk Norwegian. Other languages that are also spoken in Norway include Sámi and Finnish.

It is a Nordic country lying on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula and located in Northern Europe. It also borders Sweden, Finland and Russia. About two-third area of the Norway is mountains, has around fifty thousand small islands along its coast. It also has one of the longest coastlines in the world.

The climate of Norway can be termed as Temperate with hot summers and cold overcast winters. The highlands of interior Norway have an arctic like climate with snow, severe wind chill and frost. Most of the rain is along the coastal areas and comes down in winter quite heavily and frequently. Winters are mild too along the coastal areas.
Like any other country Norway has its own customs too. It is customary not to drink until the host makes a toast. It is customary for guests to offer gifts to the host of a meal. Smoking is prohibited in most public areas.  Casual dress is acceptable for everyday wear. Tipping the taxi drivers is not customary. Tipping up to five percent is customary for service in restaurants. Porters at railway stations and airports charge per piece, while porters at hotels generally charge around NOK5-10 depending on the number of pieces of luggage.

Attractions

Bergen – Numerous museums, galleries, aquarium, medieval age buildings, cable car to the top of Bergen’s hills and boat trips to fjords.
Oslo – Old medieval buildings, churches, modern architecture, museums like Edvard Munch Museum and the Norwegian Folk Museum, art galleries, Vigeland Park, and Akershus Fortress
Fjordland – Geirangerfjorden known for tiny S-shaped fjord,
Sognefjord – the longest and the deepest fjord, beautiful villages such as Balestrand and Flam, old stave churches, Nærøyfjord – Narrowest branch of the Sognefjord and Palteau of Jostedalsbreen glacier
Tromsø – Arctic cathedral, Polaria and Tromsø Museum

Sea – The important passenger ports are Bergen, Kristiansand, Larvik, Oslo and Stavanger. The main sea routes from the UK, operated by Fjord Line and DFDS Seaways respectively, are from Newcastle to Bergen and to Kristiansand.

By Rail – The country is part of the extensive network of trains connecting the European cities. If you are coming from UK, the connections are from London via Dover/Ostend (via Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden) or Harwich/Hook of Holland, or from Newcastle to Bergen via Stavanger. It is also connected to Sweden throught two routes, with daytime and overnight trains from Copenhagen, Malm and Stockholm.

The story of the doomed ocean liner Titanic has captured the imagination of people all over the world since the day it sank. Halifax, in Nova Scotia, Canada is a largely unknown part of Titanic history.

After the Titanic sank, the White Star Line chartered four ships from Canada to search for survivors. Two of them, the MacKay-Bennett and the Minia, were from Halifax.

Of the 328 bodies recovered from the disaster site, 119 were so badly damaged or deteriorated they were buried at sea. The remaining 209 were brought to Halifax for identification, where possible. 150 of those people were buried in one of three Halifax cemeteries, based on religion (Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish), giving Halifax one of the largest concentrations of Titanic passenger burials in the world.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax houses the largest collection of wooden Titanic artifacts in the world in their permanent exhibit, Titanic: The unsinkable ship and Halifax, which opened in 1998.

One of the centerpieces of the collection is a wooden deck chair, one of the only intact ones in the world known to match those in photos of the ship. A grandchild of Reverend Henry W. Cunningham gave the chair to the museum. Reverend Cunningham received the chair in recognition for his services in conducting many of the sea burials for Titanic victims.

One of the most moving items on display is the log of wireless operator Robert Hunston, from Cape Race, Newfoundland. It is a condensed log of all the distress calls from the ocean liner the night it sank. Reading the log brings home the reality of the disaster and the amazingly short time in which it occurred.

If you want to travel to the Caribbean, one of the most important things you can to is plan it completely. Planning it now may be a lot of work, but if you do it before ever leaving home, you’ll be able to enjoy your vacation while there. No matter which Caribbean island you want to visit, planning is very important.

First, plan how you want to get to your destination. Because of the nature of the Caribbean, flying straight to your destination is not you sole choice. You do so if you choose, but you can also take a cruise throughout the Caribbean islands and visit a bunch of different port cities. In either case, you should plan your transportation as one of the first and foremost aspects of your vacation. Often, you can get a cheaper deal on tickets if you plan far in advance.

You should also consider your accommodations when traveling to the Caribbean. You first choice is, of course, any one of the many hotels and resorts scattered around the islands and catering especially to tourists. Many of these places to stay are completely Americanized and some even are owned by America companies. Another choice you have is the all-inclusive resort. Found on many of the Caribbean islands, all-inclusive resorts are great because they include meals, tours, private beaches, and more for free. If these don’t strike your fancy, you can also try booking a room in a smaller hotel or bed and breakfast, where you can get a true cultural experience.

Once you have your transportation and hotel figured out, you should consider planning certain activities. You can leave a number of days open for relaxing on the beach and spur of the moment tours, but if you don’t plan ahead for some of your activities, you may not be able to fit them into your schedule once there. It is best to plan ahead a bit, but not too much. This is the best way to enjoy your Caribbean vacation.

The last thing you should consider planning is a back up. Things inevitably go wrong on any vacation, so if it rains, have something to do other than lie on the beach. If the hotel overbooks accidentally, be prepared by knowing the names and numbers of some other hotels that might have open rooms. The key to a great vacation in the Caribbean is not to have everything go smoothly, but rather to enjoy it no matter what.

Switzerland is blessed with all the bounties of nature. It is the most preferred tourist destination among all the countries in the world. The Alps region has a cold weather most of the times, where as the summers are warmer in the northern area. Visit Saas Fee to ski and snowboard. Dream of living in real life igloo can come true as many resorts, like Zermatt and St Moritz (which is a celebrity resort), had them built for their customers.

Italian, German and French are the official languages of Switzerland. Many English people can also be found here. Unwrapped flowers must be presented to the host to show appreciation. White asters and chrysanthemums flowers are reserved for funerals, so precaution must be taken when presenting flowers to others, even red roses are better avoided. One can move around in casuals but it is important to dress in warrant jackets and ties when attending social gatherings or when eating out at a fine restaurant. Swiss Franc is the currency used here.

Switzerland is famous for its exotic chocolates, finest handmade clocks and luxury watches. Other specialties are embroidered linen, music boxes, wood carvings, Swiss cheese and Swiss army knives. Many shops remain close on Monday, so shopping should be avoided on that day. Since service charge is applied on all services, so tipping is an issue of free-will. 7.6% VAT is charged on all purchases made in Switzerland, which can be reclaimed later by asking for a global refund check, if the purchase crosses 400 CHF.

Swiss airline is the national airline of Switzerland, which connects to 71 destinations all over the world. Zurich is the most popular airport, located at a distance of 11km from the city. Every 15 minutes, trains shuttles passengers to their destination. Fly-Rail Luggage ticket can be bought if the passengers want to collect their luggage at the railways station rather than the airport. While leaving Switzerland, Fly-Rail Baggage service can be availed that enables passenger to check-in their luggage at the railway station itself. Other facilities provided here are duty free shops, banks, restaurants and car hire. Check out Geneva, Basle and Bern airport for offers.

Since weather conditions are worst during the winters, train is an efficient and cheaper option. They are also great if one wants to enjoy the scenic beauty of Switzerland. Swiss Pass can be purchased to visit most of the tourist attractions in Switzerland. High quality roads are maintained here. Roads connect to Austria, Germany, Italy and France. But in winters things can get worse, so it is better to carry chains and snow tires. Cars should be kept to the right.

From experience I know that finding accommodation in Australia is a very delicate matter. Once you’ve saved the money to pay for your flying trip to Australia, you might think that nothing can come to you as a surprise anymore. (Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought). In Australia I was confronted with the brutal facts that made me realize that things aren’t that simple.

“They do things a little different down there” my grandmother said before I left. Just because they speak English in Australia doesn’t mean that you won’t be surprised once you get to the Land of Oz. When I was there I learned that most popular types of accommodation in Australia are Australian hostels. I think this has to do with the fact that people down there travel a lot more than Americans.

A great share of the country is an amazingly beautiful and unspoiled wilderness and some places are rather remote. You can also find some kind of ruggedness in the Australian spirit that we Americans and Western Europeans have lost many years ago.

Most Australians don’t mind living in what I like to call “Spartan environments” if they can live relaxed and on the cheap, and that’s exactly what Australia hostels are all about. They are Spartan and they are cheap. But for my family sharing one room with 15 to 20 people and having only one toilet to share is kind of frustrating. Due to these circumstances we were forced to make another decision about accommodation in Australia.

If your facts about Australia are out-of-date, how will that affect your actions and decisions? Make certain you don’t let this important information slip by you. So in the end we picked a fancy Australia resort to spend the rest of our vacation. The service was excellent as I remember. At the time the choice was very simple, we had to choose between a plain old hostel/camping or a hotel.

As you can imagine we were tempted to indulge in a few nights of hotel accommodation in Australia, where we could finally enjoy our privacy and well needed soft beds to rest our tired bodies. Because the people living down under are always on the move, it isn’t hard to find some kind of outdoor accommodation in Australia.

The only thing we took with us were our backpacks and sleeping bags because we wanted to travel light. We found it was no problem at all to find a good tent, pans, pots and things like a portable stove, and other essential camping gear for a modest amount of money.

You can easily buy all these things or even better rent them. We found that renting our gear was very convenient since we had no plans on taking all this stuff with us when our vacation was over.