Travel Tips | Travel News USA : Vacation & Travel Blog

Travel Tips Before you Travel To a Foreign Country

Posted on September 11, 2009

There are many things that you can do to pre-prepare yourself and your family for travel. By being as prepared as you can be, you are setting yourself up for a great getaway that will minimize any unpleasant circumstances that sometimes arise with travel.

In order to have the best vacation possible, I'm going to share with you the must know tricks and travel tips before you travel.

The very first thing you must do is RESEARCH. You want to learn as much as you possibly can about your destination prior to arrival. Yes, this is going to require some time and effort on your part but it is going to be more than worth it. This is the only way to truly understand what it is you want from your vacation and what you want to do on your vacation.

Here are some things that you should always know about your destination.

Weather - You need to know what you should be packing and planning for.

Paperwork and Documentation - Know what is needed to travel to your particular destination.

Know if there are any diseases common to the area you will be traveling to - this way you are able to take preventative measures.

Costs of local items - You want to be able to properly plan your budget; remember to include taxes and tipping.

Holidays and festivals - check to see when these occur for your destination as you may find limited services on those days.

The best holidays are the ones we are most prepared for. Do yourself a favour; make it a habit to always know as much as you can about your destination before you travel. It'll make all the difference in the world!

What are some other things that you can do to prepare yourself? Use these travel tips before you travel.

Make 2 photocopies of your passport. Take one and put it in a safe place or leave it with a friend. Take the other one with you and keep it in a separate place from your passport, this way should your passport become lost or stolen, you can use the copy to exit the country and it will also facilitate the replacement process.

Email yourself important information such as: airline numbers and flight information, credit card numbers, passport and driver's licence numbers and anything else that may be of importance to you. This way if anything is lost or stolen, you are just and internet connection away.

Know your banking information. For your credit card, make sure that the valid dates will remain valid while you're traveling, know your available spending amount and don't forget to leave some room on it for emergencies. Check your ATM and debit cards' daily and total limits.

Learn some local phrases. If you are traveling to a country with a foreign language, it's always nice to know some of the local phrases. Knowing the "polite words" and just a few local phrases will be a huge help. You will find that natives r Read more

before you travel, Exit, h, Holidays, Limited Services, Travel, Travel Tips, Unpleasant Circumstances, No Comments

Five Travel Tips for Florence

Posted on August 16, 2009

1 The Uffizi Gallery Tip

The Uffizi Gallery contains some of the most important and greatest art collections in the world. It is also the world's oldest museum. Most tour guide books and online travel sites will urge you to ensure that a visit to the Uffiizi is included as part of any Florence vacation, no matter how short. What most of them fail to tell you, or at least stress with sufficient emphasis, is that without a pre-booked ticket, you may not be able to visit the Uffizi at all!

My wife and I had a three day holiday in Florence at the beginning of April 2005. We had planned on visiting the Uffizi Gallery and as soon as we checked in at our hotel we telephoned the gallery to purchase tickets. After several attempts without our calls being answered, we asked the hotel reception to do the booking for us. They explained that it was nearly always difficult to get through on the booking line and that our three day stay might not provide sufficient notice to make a booking possible. Despite this, the hotel staff were most happy to keep trying whilst we enjoyed the other wonders of Florence. We decided to check out the situation for ourselves the next day but discovered queues that hardly seemed to move, stretching for an enormous distance around the area of the Uffizi. Queuing all day was certainly not the way we wanted to spend our time in Florence, so we decided to leave things in the capable hands of the reception staff whilst we enjoyed the other attractions that we had come to see. The following evening, we were informed that after many fruitless attempts at getting through on the booking line, success had finally been achieved but only to receive information that all tickets were sold for the following day. We consequently missed out on seeing many of Florence's greatest art treasures and our top travel tip for anyone visiting Florence on a short stay vacation is to book tickets for the Uffizi Gallery online some time before their holiday.

2 The Inside Tip for the Duomo

Another of the wonders of Florence not to be missed is the Duomo. Actually, it is impossible to miss this magnificent building because it dominates the city and can be seen from virtually everywhere. Savour the views of it whilst enjoying a coffee at one of the cafes in the surrounding piazza. Walk around it, pausing every now and then to appreciate it from every aspect. View it from more distant, elevated, positions around the city. This was once the largest cathedral in the world and even now, nearly six hundred years after it was built, it is the fourth largest. Florence always insisted on everything being the biggest and the best but what really makes the Duomo unique is its dome or "Cupola". When Fillipo Brunelleschi undertook this masterpiece of renaissance architecture, no one believed that such a dome was possible. The secret had been lost for over a thousand years but Brunelleschi travelled to R Read more

April 2005, Art Treasures, h, Line Success, tourist attractions, Travel, Travel Tips, Uffizi Gallery, what is a soot from ancient rome, No Comments

Consequential Travel Tips #1

Posted on February 3, 2009

EXTRA LUGGAGE-- It may be possible to purchase the right to check a third bag, at a cost of something like $125. In high capacity travel times however, it may no longer be possible to elect this option, at any price. Again, don't be stymied at the gate. Check with your airline in advance.

TAG YOUR BAGS...INSIDE AND OUT -- It is surprising to note how many people arrive at the airport with no identification on their luggage. Wiser travelers will have at least two external tags securely affixed to each piece of luggage, and one taped inside the cover of each bag for good measure.

WHAT TO WEAR FOR SMOOTHER CHECK-IN -- Almost all clothing accessories, including shoes, belts, hats, sweaters, jackets, etc. must be removed and sent through the x-ray machine. Simplify matters for yourself by wearing such items that are relatively easy for you to remove and re-don. On another note, wear at least one garment that has secure button-down or Velcro pockets suitable to keeping your passport, wallet, pen, glasses and other critical items safely on your person. A travel shirt such as Ex Officio, safari pants with good button pockets, and/or a photo journalist style vest or jacket can be very helpful in securing important items.

CARRY-ON LUGGAGE -- As of now travelers in the USA are limited to one carry-on bag, plus the equivalent of a purse, laptop bag, or small backpack. You are advised not to test the capacity limits, as your carry-on may be denied boarding, or forced to be checked. Plan and pack accordingly.

HURRY UP and WAIT -- Early arrival at the airport for check-in is now more important than ever. You will avoid many problems and much distress simply by arriving at the airport check-in counter a generous two hours or more in advance of your flight departure. In fact, on some recent Singapore Airlines flights, they asked that you check in 3-1/2 hours prior to flight time.

CONNECTING FLIGHTS -- When planning connecting flights, allow at least three hours for you and your luggage to change planes, especially when making an inter-airline connection and/or clearing Immigration and Customs .I know that sitting around the airports for that long is no fun but cutting this too close can ruin a great trip before it even begins.

FALL-BACK OPTION -- Avoid scheduling the last flight that will connect from your home airport to the major gateway. If your flight is late or cancelled due to weather or mechanical issues, your entire vacation may be placed be in jeopardy. If at all possible, book an earlier flight for a safety cushion.

YOUR PASSPORT if you're planning on vacationing in another country, you're going to need a valid passport. If this is your first passport, you'll need to apply in person at least 5 weeks before your planned departure. You can go to your local county courthouse, a U.S. Passport Agency, a probate court, or certain post offices. For Read more