Just a few years ago we had a Paros friend suffer a heart attack in the Bangkok Airport. His medical bill was four times his total assets. He was fortunate, however, that his girlfriend who is a travel agent had insisted he purchase travel insurance before the trip. It even covered flying him back to Greece. The CheapoAir site includes a travel insurance option in all their offerings. Plus they have a lowest price guarantee and real live people to help with customer service. Check them out.
For general and specific information about which budget airlines fly to which cities and airports, which are the best days to fly, which airports are best for sleeping and all that kind of useful information for the economy flier I recommend the following two sites:
Valuable Travel Links:
Madrid Tours: Exciting guided tours in Madrid. Book more than 30 activities.
1001 Vacation Ideas - Presents a huge collection of vacation ideas, places to go, and things to do for the U.S. and around the world.
SafariNow offers Cape Town Accommodation, as well as an all-inclusive accommodation guide for the eight safari countries in Africa. Their web site is also a comprehensive guide to all things Africa.
Their maps are excellent and up-to-date.
Paris Walking Tours - A wealth of current, practical information on Paris. Private guided walking tours at a reasonable price. Paris history, culture and maps. Insights and tips from a long time resident to help you make the most of your Paris stay.
Tourism Czech Republic - Travel Guide- an extensive and comprehensive site on all things Czech Republic.
Classic Double/Twin Room, Boutique Hotel in Old Town, Prague - Elegantly furbished guest room with stylish contemporary interior design.
Kenya Safari Holidays - includes budget and luxury safaris, beach safaris, Mount Kilimanjaro and Kenya climbing.
Offroad Vietnam Motorcycle Tours - Off-road information, tours and adventures in Vietnam on Honda real road motorcycles, dirt bikes and moped scooters. Site features a tour library of detailed itineraries and photos from the road. Some of the most useful resources you can find on the web about travelling off road in Vietnam.
Alicante, Spain - Insider's Guide - A complete guide to everything in and around Alicante. First hand tips to enjoy your stay plus a full range of travel information.
Airways Bed and Breakfast Hotel in London UK offering budget hotel rooms in central London near Victoria terminal and elsewhere in Britain.
Any traveller knows the hardest part is sticking to your budget. Here is a site dedicated to making it easier: Budget Your Trip It has several useful tools for estimating expenses as well as tracking them.
Is your last minute travel always more expensive
than a well-planned trip?
by Jonathan Tan
Last Minute Travel doesn't have to lead to expense. Let us show you how to get the best deals and bargains without the stress.
For any last minute vacations, it pays to know when the most expensive travel periods are. The high demand for travel during certain periods drives the prices up for most essentials like airline tickets, cruises, hotel rooms and rental cars.
Fortunately, there are a few free tools, tricks and sites that you can use to make your last minute travel cheaper, faster, easier and more fun! The other alternative is to buy last minute vacation packages. They are generally good but only if you cannot locate a cheap airfare. An understanding of how the airlines operate will help you get that cheap last minute airline tickets.
As for hotel reservations, it's true that most often you do get a better rate by using the phone from a nearby booth rather than walking to the reservation counter. Another way you can save on your car rental is to consider the parking charges, again this can be easily verify via the phone by simply asking the hotel staff for local advice.
Airlines, hotels, cruise ships and rental car companies lose money for every seat, hotel room, cabin or rental car they don't fill. Typically, they would rely on travel agents, or consolidators to help them clear their inventories. By buying such items in bulk and repackaging them together into last minute vacation deals, it's unlikely you can buy these items separately on your own at a cheaper price.
For more tips and ideas on how to have fun, save more for your last minute travel, head on over to the 11th Hour Vacations and Travel Guide. As a business traveler, Jonathan does a lot of last minute travel and he is always on the lookout for cheap, quick and practical last minute travel tips.
Here is an anonymous article with some good advice:
Choices for a healthy diet while traveling
Sticking to a healthy diet while traveling can be quite difficult. However, if you decide to make smart choices, a healthy diet is certainly feasible. Traveling is probably not the best time in which to start a healthy diet, but if you are already making healthy choices in your foods, modifying your diet slightly to accommodate travel is not as difficult as it first may seem.
If you are traveling my airplane, a healthy diet may have to include airplane food, which can often be poor for your health. When you book your flight, ask about your food options. Vegetarian dishes are sometimes more nutritional in this case, but it really depends on what they will be serving. If you can, eat a larger meal before your flight so that you don’t have to eat everything that is served to feel full.
When driving or taking a bus, you may be tempted to stop at fast food restaurants and eat the attractive foods found there. Avoid this whenever possible! If you’re on vacation, you may wish to splurge a tiny bit, but having fast food more than once a week can really be bad for your health. If you must, choose the healthiest options available, like chicken breasts and diet soda.
Also, remember that you can take your own food when traveling. Carrying a loaf of whole-wheat bread or pita wraps, some lean lunchmeat, and low-fat cheese in a cooler is a great way to avoid high-fat and high-cholesterol junk food meals. You’ll save a lot of money as well, even if you buy from a gourmet delicatessen. Call ahead to ask if there will be a refrigerator in your hotel room.
Lastly, make smart choices when you eat out. If you choose salads or pasta get the dressing on the side and ask about low-carb options. Control your portions by ordering lunch menu sizes or splitting the meal in half and getting a doggie bag.
Yes, eating healthy foods when you travel can be a challenge. However, your health is worth it. When you eat good foods, you will also fight illnesses that you are likely to encounter when traveling and be more alert so that you can enjoy your trip.
