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Traveling Alone Safely As A Woman

May 8, 2008 by admin Leave a Comment

Traveling is an exciting pastime for anyone, but there are some things to keep in mind to make your journey not only successful, but a safe one. This is all true, especially if you’re a woman traveling alone. You need to prepare for all the things that can happen when you’re on vacation. Follow the tips below to stay safe and ultimately have a great time!

Leave your contact information at home with someone who is reliable like a close friend or family member. When planning your trip and booking your hotel, you will probably already know that contact information. Leaving it with a reliable source will make sure that if something happens someone will know and can relay your contact information to the proper authorities.

Making a schedule for your trip and sticking with it is imperative. This is especially true if you are on your own. Make sure that you provide a copy of your schedule to your friends and family members. This will ensure that someone will know where you are at all times. Sticking to your schedule leaves little room for error and makes you a much smaller target for crimes.

Research the area before planning your trip. It is important that if you pay the money that the place you visit suits your wants and needs. Read blogs or forum posts of people who live in the area. Consider reading reviews of local restaurants and hotels. Believe it or not, oftentimes reviews give you a much better insight as to what a place is like. Travel brochures and magazines only highlight the good things about a destination. Thorough online research can pinpoint the negatives or more affordable tourist attractions that many guides omit.

Make sure that you make several copies of your documentation before you travel. This means, make copies of your passport and IDs to ensure that if they are lost or stolen, you still have proof of your identity and citizenship.

Pickpockets are ten a penny, especially in large cities with many people. Limit the amount of valuables you carry with you. Only take the necessities and leave things of value at home or in someone’s care that you trust. Make sure that if you have a purse, it has a zipper you can use to enclose your valuables. Don’t let your purse hang at your side while walking through a mass of people. Hang onto it tightly!

It may be tempting to accessorize your outfit with flashy accessories, but it can also gain unwanted attention from pickpockets or criminals. Try to blend in with the tourist crowd and minimize your accessories to the bare minimum. Leave fancy watches, necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and expensive handbags at home. Accessorize your outfit with costume jewelry and with a “low end” handbag.

There are dark neighborhoods in every city and sometimes you may be unfortunate enough to find yourself in one. If this is the case and you start feeling uneasy or perhaps even feel that someone may be following you, move to an area with a lot of people. This can help you get lost in the crowd and find your way safely to your destination.

Following the tips from this article ensures that you have a safe and enjoyable time during your next vacation! It is okay to travel alone armed with the right information and sources.

Filed Under: Travel Tips

Forbes article on family vacation trends

May 7, 2008 by admin Leave a Comment

I was just reading an article at Forbes magazine online that talks about the history of family vacations and how they have changed.

Among older people in a study it seems that only 4% took a  plane on vacation whereas now 63% of families go on vacation by plane. And kids are treated a lot better too now then in past years Theme parks, for example, cater to kids non-stop, which Lipman sees as kid-friendly. More hotels and resorts, on the other hand, are offering nanny services and creative, age-appropriate activities, which is really kid-focused.

I always think of vacationing for my family as being seasonally decided. We will go on road trips and camping locally in North America sometimes during the summer and then in Winter once every few years we will go to some kind of flying in hot spot, this year was Hawaii but a few years ago it was the Mayan Riviera.

Filed Under: Travel Tips

Travel Tips To Improve Your Trip

May 7, 2008 by admin Leave a Comment

Planning for your travels can make all the difference in the level of enjoyment you experience while you travel. Use the following tips to plan your next trip and you will find more enjoyment of the time that you get to spend vacationing.

Prior to leaving for your trip, spend some time online researching different activities and attractions around your destination. If you cannot find a website that provides you with enough ideas to fill each day, seek the help of a travel agent. If you go on your trip without any plans of what you are going to do on each day that you are there, you are going to find yourself bored, and possibly in bad situations. Knowing exactly what you are going to do on each day is going to reduce your stress level and give you a little more to look forward to than just arriving at the destination.

If you take medications, be sure that you have a freshly filled prescription with you before you leave for your trip. You never know when something could happen and leave you stranded in a hotel or airport for extended periods of time. It can be very difficult to get a prescription filled during your travels, so making sure you have more than enough pills to get through the number of days you have planned for your trip is best.

Be sure to contact your bank prior to departure. Some banks may put a freeze on your account if you attempt to use your bank card in a different area. This is especially important if you are traveling outside of your country. In this case, be sure to contact your credit card companies as well as your bank. Overseas charges can trigger a fraud alert that causes the accounts to be frozen. There are some instances where it can take multiple days to get these accounts unlocked leaving you in a strange company with no money or charge cards.

Print out copies of street maps for the area of your destination from home. You never know when you are going to have a cell phone die on you and will not be able to utilize the online maps. Mark the map of the places you plan to go, as well as police stations and hospitals to be prepared for anything that could possibly happen during your travels.

Check the extended weather forecast for your destination. If you know what weather is expected, you will be able to pack accordingly. This can save you time and money on having to buy the things that you did not pack. You can also avoid over-packing for weather that you are not going to experience during your stay.

Taking the time to prepare for your trip may seem to be a waste before you go, but once you have reached your vacation spot, you will be happy that you took, the time to do it. Enjoy your travels instead of worrying about things while you are there.

Filed Under: Travel Tips

Travel Destinations in the United States

May 6, 2008 by admin Leave a Comment

There are a wide range of travel destinations in the United States. You are sure to find a place that offers what you are looking for, and this article will show you some of the wonders of the country.

National Parks in the United States are often a wonder to behold. One of the most famous is Yellowstone National Park, located in Wyoming. Yellowstone offers hiking, backpacking, wildlife observation, and lots more. Arches National Park, in Utah, features over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. Death Valley National Park is located in California, and is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in the United States. Whether you are looking for a desert or a forest, there is a National Park to visit.

The United States borders the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. You may think that all beaches are created equally, but this is not the case. The rocky beaches of Oregon contrast the clear, sandy beaches of Florida.

If you want to relax on an island, drinking pretty cocktails, you can do that in the U.S. as well. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands offer a number of beautiful, tropical vacation destinations.

Many people forget about the Heartland of the United States, especially with all the beaches and mountains. The heartland includes Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, and other states. You will find friendly people, rolling hills of corn and wheat, and lots of neat things to do and see. Some of the best air shows in the country are found in Oklahoma.

If you are up for an adventure, try your hand at mountain climbing. You can hike up Mount Rainier and practice your mountain climbing skills in the Rockies. Climb a real, live volcano in Washington State when you climb Mount Saint Helens. For a more explosive mountain climbing experience, go out to Hawaii and check out an island volcano.

Throughout the U.S. are quaint, little country towns. Wahoo, Nebraska is one such town with an awesome name. Located centrally between Omaha and Lincoln, Wahoo is home to a little museum, several parks, and small-town country charm. The Carolinas are another excellent place to find small towns.

A popular, but often understated, vacation spot in the United States is the nation’s capital city, Washington D.C. You can visit the famed Smithsonian Museum, tour the White House and Hoover Building, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is housed. You can look for the popular meeting places of Washington’s power moguls, and possibly even rub shoulders with a senator or two. Washington is also home to a number of comparatively smaller museums. Several states with wonderful attractions are within a short driving distance from Washington D.C. so you can get a motel in the capital city and still visit lots of attractions in the area.

The United States features travel destinations for everyone. You can visit a desert, canyon, mountain, beach, or rain forest all in the same country. Consider exploring the great USA when you next take a vacation.

Filed Under: Travel Tips

Travel By Plane With Less Anxiety With These Tips

May 5, 2008 by admin 1 Comment

There are many people that cannot handle the thought of boarding a plane to travel. The anxiety they experience is real and can take a lot out of them emotionally and physically. The following tips can help anxious flyers get through the flight without suffering their usual symptoms.

Sleep aids can help tremendously, however, these pills should not be taken before the plane takes off. Many travelers make the mistake of taking the pills as soon as they board the plane, but this can be a big mistake. You never know when something can happen that will cause passengers to exit the plane. Once the pills are in your system, they can seriously impact the thought process and can make it difficult to find a gate or stay awake until the next flight takes off.

Remember that you have a person in the seat in front of you. As tempting as it can be to grab hold of that seat during times of panic, that action could make the passenger in front of you very unhappy. If you feel the need to grab hold of something, use your arm rests, or ask the attendant ahead of time for a pillow that you can squeeze.

Before you recline your seat, check behind you. The passenger in the seat behind you may be using the tray on the back of your seat or may have long legs that will be cramped if you were to recline. If this is the case, ask the attendant for a seat change, so you can be more comfortable for the duration of the flight.

Hearing other passengers conversations can make an already anxious flyer even more anxious. Bring along a good set of headphones or ear plugs so you do not have to listen to their conversations. Play calming music, audio books or anything else that helps to soothe your nerves.

If you run out of reading material while traveling, visit the airport swap shelves to find something new to read. A new book may be just the thing you need to keep your mind working and not worrying about what could potentially happen while in the air.

Take photos of your luggage and keep the photos in your carry-on bag. These photos can be use to help you retrieve your luggage if it happens to get lost. Just knowing that you have taken steps to prepare for this situation could help to relieve some of the anxiety you may feel.

Use the online check-in features that are available. Log on about 24 hours prior to the time of your flight to get the best possible seat. If you are claustrophobic, try to get a seat along the isle. It will make it easier to get up and stretch your legs and keep you from being sandwiched between a window and other passengers.

These tips may not be the cure for those with a chronic fear of airlines, but they will help those who have anxiety about the idea of flying. Use them to find comfort while making your way through the air to your destination.

Filed Under: Travel Tips

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