Some Advice About Tipping On Cruise Ships

In this cruise travel tips video, you’ll get some valuable insights into tipping etiquette – what’s expected and what’s just the right thing to do!

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Handling Seasickness On Your Cruise

This cruise travel tips video looks at how to avoid or relieve sea sickness on board your cruise.

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Cruise Travel Trends, Facts And Tips

One of the fastest-growing parts of the travel industry is the cruise travel business. Find out what to expect from new ships, what’s happening with older ships, and what it all means to you. NBC Travel Editor Peter Greenberg reports.

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“All my family lives across the country, and they haven’t been able to see him. He’s 3 months right now, and I’m just trying to plan for a trip before he’s not a baby anymore. What is a good baby age for air travel in your experience? And any helpful tips would be appreciated.”

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The greatest secret to affordable air travel or accommodation discounts is to know your budget and what you really want. Additionally, you should shop and compare deals until you’ve looked at all your options and choose the best among them. And importantly, always plan ahead. Nothing is too early when it comes to vacation planning. This will give you ample time to search and choose.

Whether you’re a business traveler or planning a family vacation, here are some air travel tips to help you save money and choose the best deal:

1. Buy your ticket directly. Travel agents usually charge between $15 and $35 per ticket, so you can save a bit by buying direct. If the holiday you’re planning has a number of different components to it – air travel to your cruise departure point and hotels before and after, for example – then simplifying things by going through an agent might be worth the added cost. That’s your choice.

2. Make all your purchases/reservations at once for these mutli faceted trips instead of buying one at a time. Discounts may be available on booking fees this way.

3. Booking for a package tour that includes air travel, accommodation and any other expense could be a wise choice for some destinations.

4. Compare prices online for the best discounts. There are websites that help travelers to shop and compare. Some also provide travel tips and guidelines.

5. Play the seasons. Some travel destinations are cheapest at certain times or seasons of the year. Booking for an off-peak season also would give you the best deal.

For both air travel and driving, avoid the crowds by traveling during the week, especially from Tuesday through Thursday. An added bonus is that airfares for travel Tuesday through Thursday are usually cheaper.

Mid-morning and late afternoon flights tend to be less crowded, plus you can really avoid commute traffic during this time. Travel sites also offer the low down on late-night flights (also known as red-eye flights for obvious reasons): these flights can help you avoid traffic but it’s only effective if you can sleep sitting up-right on a plane!

And did you know that traveling off-peak means traveling during holidays (not before or after) when airfares are lower and there’s less road traffic?

Some of the most affordable air travel deals of the year can be found in the fall. If you find super off-peak dates that fall between major holidays, strike while the iron is hot. Book immediately with your discount travel broker. Never hesitate!

6. Be flexible with travel dates and times. Some airlines and hotels offer substantial discounts if you book one or two days earlier.

7. Smaller airlines often have smaller fares. Additionally, small airlines don’t necessarily mean smaller airplanes.

8. Using an alternative airport also could provide you with substantial discounts. Ask your travel agent about it.

9. Plan ahead. The earlier you book, the better deal you will have.

10. Buy trip insurance. Insurance will not only save your life but also could save you money. If you end up being sick in foreign country, your insurance back home might not cover it. Thus you might end up using your vacation budget on hospitalization.

11. Sign up for hotel and airline awards programs. Chain hotels usually have award programs; take advantage of it especially if you are a frequent business traveler. Finally, never stop bargaining, always explore the possibility of lower airfare, lower hotel rates.

However, it is important to weigh and compare all options, since not all cheap travel deals will give you the travel value you deserve. Travel will be more enjoyable if you get the most for your hard earned vacation budget, and some hotels aren’t fit to stay in no matter how cheap they are. You do want to remember your trip for the right reasons!

James Yee

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/best-travel-deals-for-your-holiday-137030.html

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Once you understand a few steps to take, there are ways to make air travel with your pets comfortable for them and to eliminate any risk to your friend. You can relax… well, at least a bit anyway. From the research we have done about pet travel and specifically about flying with pets, it seems that most pets are completely safe and unharmed while traveling by airplane.

Still not convinced? Then you should take a look at two great pet air travel websites: PetFlight.com and PetAirCarrier.com…

Pet Flight is a great site about pet-friendly flights and safe shipping of your pets. It was inspired by a special dog named Brent. Brent’s “Pet Dad” discusses how they moved to Hawaii from the mainland, and they provide invaluable air travel and flight information for flying with pets.

Be sure to read the Pet Travel Reports. Pet Flight provides monthly reports on the loss, injury, and death of pets during air travel. Although this is not a pleasant topic, it will help you understand some precautions to take. In addition, you will find great pet travel tips and hard-to-find airline information. We highly recommend this website as a resource when planning to fly with your pets.

Pet Air Carrier is another great resource you could tap into. Pet Air Carrier has a 28-year reputation for transporting animals safely and can give you invaluable information on this. They deal with both wild as well as domesticated animals.

We hope studying the information on these 2 websites, and any others you may come across, will help to convince you that it should be perfectly safe to fly with pets IF you arm yourself with all the relevant information and use the right channels.

And if you really don’t like the idea of the cargo hold for your “babies”, then hiring a private jet might be the way to go!

Knowing all the rules of pet travel can be confusing since not all airlines allow pets to fly in the cabin. Do your research and contact the airlines directly for all relevant pet air travel information, since pet travel policies vary from airline to airline, and the different policies can be confusing.

Lots of pet travel information is available on the internet, so you can easily acquaint yourself with the rules of pet friendly travel. There are some basic rules that both you and the airlines must follow such as:

- your pet must be at least 8 weeks old and under 100 pounds

- your pet will not be allowed to be outside of its pet carrier

- “non traditional” pets are typically not allowed (sorry, you’ll have to leave your pet snake with his favorite sitter)

- you will need a health certificate from a vet that is no more than 10 days old if your animal will travel in the cargo hold.

These are just a few standard pet travel rules to keep in mind, but there are many more pet travel tips and resources to help make your pet travel experiences pleasurable for you, the airlines and, above all, for your beloved pet.

Darlene Berkel

http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/pet-air-travel-flying-with-your-pet-to-hawaii-127861.html

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Cruise travel offers some of the best vacations you can take. During your cruise you will visit several different ports of call. Your cruise ship will dock at exotic islands or new countries almost on a daily basis. Check out the cruise reviews on line for cruise tips before you visit your destinations to find out what fantastic experience each port has to offer…

There are a wide variety of activities in each cruise destination. As part of your cruise travel experience, you will visit ports to shop, explore, hang out on the beach, sight-see or hike. Or you could just depart the ship to walk around for a change of pace. Although this is a great adventure, you should realize that you will only get a small sample of what each port of call has to offer. And be forewarned, as you step off your majestic cruise ship there will be hordes of locals trying to sell you a trinket or a tour around the city.

If you take the advice above and search the cruise reviews, you should have a pretty good idea what each destination has to offer. Choose the excursion that has the most encompassing tour of your port. In exotic ports they have full day tours, including lunch, that will take you to the highlights of the place you are visiting. This is an ideal way to sample the city or island getting ideas for what you may want to come back for at a later date.

On island tours, you may want to take an organized tour in the morning, go back to the ship for lunch, then light out on your own to explore more fully, shop or just go to the beach. If you are more adventuresome, skip the lunch on board and dine in the city. You get to experience the local cuisine and soak up the native culture. This is your vacation, so learn some new things! If you choose to do this, check with the cruise director for the best places to dine and make sure you know the exchange rate.

One good cruise travel tip is to put your meal on a charge card so you will be charged the exchange rate on the day the bill hits the credit card company. Another tip that is very useful is to use the brochure that the ship gives you for their organized tour and follow it on your own. Only do this if you are comfortable with the country you are visiting. If it is your first time overseas to a port of call, it is best to stick with the organized tour for safety and convenience. Other cruise tips can be found online about some of the wonderful things to see and do in various ports of call.

Be conscious of one thing – if you chose to explore on your own, you must know what time the ship leaves and how long it will take you to get back on board. If you are not on an organized tour (excursion) it is your responsibility to get back on time or the ship will leave without you. You then have to meet the ship at the next port of call at your own expense.

If you opt for an organized tour sponsored by the cruise ship, it could cost you anywhere from $20.00 to over $200.00 depending on what you choose to do. It could be just a simple bus ride around town for two hours or a two day trip from St. Petersburg, Russia to Moscow. The options are endless.

Most cruise ship lines will let you book excursions in advance on their websites. This is very convenient and helpful with the most popular tours that sell out quickly. The most inexpensive tours also tend to sell out because of some cruisers watching their budgets. So don’t miss out, check out the cruise line’s website to see if you can book your ticket in advance.

Something else you should be aware of is how much the guide will be with you and do they speak English clearly. Mostly the cruise ship lines have very competent tour guides, but better safe than sorry. Will you have any time on your like for shopping or stopping in a café?

It is also very important to find out how much physical activity is required before you sign on for any tour. If you have limited mobility you don’t want to go on a tour that climbs the Acropolis in Athens or Dunns River Falls in Jamaica. Find out if a snack or lunch is provided too, so if it isn’t you can bring along adequate funds to get your own.

There are private touring companies that you can contact on your own if you wish to tour in a more private fashion. Another alternative is to buddy up with some fellow cruisers and share taxi tours to cut your expense in half. Many times you will meet people on a cruise that have similar interests and you will spend a lot of time together on the cruise ship, why not touring also? It’s a way to save money and enjoy other passengers company.

Only hire licensed taxi drivers. Their credentials should be prominently displayed in the front of the cab. With a licensed driver you are ensured a safe trip and a guide who is knowledgeable about the islands or cities background, where to shop, eat or gamble. And of course they will know the best beaches available.

Negotiate the price of your tour up front. If you chose to go to a destination where you will be dropped off for a couple of hours, negotiate with the driver to come back and pick you up. Settle on a price and pay half up front and half on the way back. If the driver has been helpful and friendly, please tip him or her.

Some cruisers like to rent cars in their ports of call. It is recommended that you only do this in destinations that you are familiar with and have a good knowledge of where you are going. Be careful when renting a car. Be sure to check out the entire car for any damages that may already be there and note them on your rental contract. If you fail to do this you may be charged for damage that was already done.

Lastly, use common sense when touring. Don’t travel in dark tight alleys, carry your money under your clothes, don’t wear expensive jewelry and don’t let yourself be surrounded, especially by children. Always carry identification and the name of the cruise line’s agents in the port of call in case you get in trouble. You are on a cruise vacation, so  make the best of it. Get off the ship at all of your ports of call whether you are touring or are just poking around. Be sure to take lots of pictures so you will have years of beautiful cruise travel memories.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved. This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/cruise-tips-for-cruise-travel-at-your-ports-of-call-61868.html

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New To Cruise Vacations… Help?

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When you are planning your UK holidays, make sure you take advantage of the travel savings for UK tourist sites. This might include visiting the hundreds of British castles and stately houses, through which tour packages will give you the best price. The sheer number of people will give you the savings, and the sites will give you the history!

The British Tourist Authority will point the way to the choices in travel savings for United Kingdom destinations. They offer quick links to flights and transportation sites in Great Britain that will take you to such airports as the famous Heathrow International Airport, where travel to other points of interest is available…

There are terrific travel savings for UK holidays offered in the many forms of transportation that are available in Great Britain. The British Tourist Authority has all of the links that will conveniently take you to all available public transportation sites, rental car sites, taxi companies, and companies that will transport you direct.

When you can travel the best routes between all the holiday places to be found in Great Britain, then the travel savings will be found in reduced rail ticket costs, and rental car costs, because you will know where you are going and will not have to spend money on petrol unnecessarily.

Sightseeing offers great travel savings for UK holidays, because you see more of Great Britain than you would ever think possible. Convenient city maps can be obtained that will give the placement of every castle in the United Kingdom. If you do not care to drive, you can use the public transportation and save money in the fares that are cheaper than any other travel mode being offered.

Some of the unofficial guides to Great Britain will give you a hint about the travel savings for UK holidays and give you a first-hand perspective on what things there are to do at these sites, because these unofficial guides are written by people who have done the travels already. These people might be Londoners, or people from Peoria, Illinois and any other location in the world.

By learning from their personal experiences, you will know of other unadvertised travel savings that cropped up from conversations with proprietors of local pubs and eateries that were on your list of attractions to visit while you were in Great Britain.

At attractions such as Buckingham Palace, you can get travel savings tips from the tour guides. They know the best places, with the best deals for all your needs that are within walking distance of the Thames River, and the business districts. There are millions of people that vacation in Great Britain. See where they go, and how they bargain for prices. Some of the ways will surely delight you.

The locals are the best source of information about travel savings. Talk with them, and you might even get some advice about the local delicacies such as fish and chips, and which size lager is proper for a lady to drink. The United Kingdom is full of friendly people who do not mind pointing out a good place to eat at a reasonable price.

Leon Groom

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/travel-savings-for-united-kingdom-sites-124649.html

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In this modern world of blurring geographical boundaries, people are traveling like never before. With the rapidly changing face of travel and tourism, everyone is eager to explore the world. This changing trend has resulted in a major boom in tourism for all sorts of people.

Women from over the world are traveling to more places more often. Although the notions are changing with time, many women still feel unsafe unless they are traveling in groups or with family. Women travelers often become, or feel like, an easy target…

Some handy tips and really useful advice can help women a lot. Women need to be very cautious while traveling to unknown and far off places. There are some basic tips that can be easily implemented to make the tour safer.

As for the basics, one thing that you must keep in mind while commuting in an unknown place is to avoid the lonely and deserted areas. Always aim for a well trafficked street that has the best of transportation, ample restaurants and crowds. It’s a good idea to ask your hotel’s female employees if there are any areas in town they’d stay away from.

Take care not to mention your personal details like name, room number etc. loudly so as not to make yourself heard to anyone. Never write down your room number or any details on any envelopes or public documents that can be accessed by anyone.

Try to stay away from people who seem to be hanging around the elevator area. Another most important thing that you must keep in mind is to look for a parking place that is well lit and guarded. Always take along a security doorstop for extra protection while staying in hotels.

While roaming around a foreign place, always study the road map beforehand. Carry just one or two credit cards while shopping around. Another thing that women travelers need to remember is to carry larger and smaller currency in different pockets to avoid exhibiting wads of currency at public places. If you wish to ask for direction, then, approach women for safer information as you would not be unnecessarily misled.

While walking on sidewalks, keep your handbags and other valuables away from the street side. If you are in for an overnight flight, it is best to stack all your valuables in a waist pouch. Try to be close to your valuables during airport security checks. Always use legitimate taxi services. Always use prepaid cards and save local police contact number in the speed dial.

If you feel like someone is chasing you, do not stop until you reach some well lit and crowded area. If possible, park in a way that you do not need to back out to make way for a speedy departure.

Always carry a small, durable flashlight and extra batteries with you while traveling. Avoid any sort of ‘bling’… do not wear flashy or expensive jewelry. In case someone tries to snatch your handbag or any valuables, it is best to let go and then cry out for help. Do not attempt to take on a mugger single handedly.

Another thing that women traveler need to understand is to gain knowledge of dressing etiquettes of the place. Try to be in sync with the local dressing sense to avoid attention. One more important thing is to stay alert even in public places as pickpockets often chose their targets at such places.

All in all, caution and staying alert is the key to safer travel. Do not let the dangers dampen your travel spirits as the beauty of the world will calm away the feelings of danger. Go, explore the world but be on the safer side.

Sumit Mishra

http://www.articlesbase.com/flights-articles/international-travel-tips-for-women-702485.html

Technorati Tags: advice, international, precautions, safety, tips, travel, women

Travel by air for people with health issues, handicaps, disabilities or special needs can be challenging. The following air travel tips will help make your flight and trip, whether domestic or international, easier, cheaper and safer…

When making your travel reservations, request any carts, wheelchair services or any other transportation you’ll need. Fully describe your limitations and needs. Get your airline ticket and boarding pass well ahead of time so you don’t have to wait in any lines. You’ll be able to arrange travel at a discount, get better travel deals, and avoid last minute travel headaches.

Talk with your airline representative or travel agent regarding the type of restrooms that are on the airplane. Call your airport and find out as much information as possible about the restrooms and handicapped parking at the airport.

You’ll need to find out how you’ll be boarding the plane at each of the airports involved in your trip. You may need another type of airplane or alternative route so you’ll have Jetways, or jet bridges, into the plane from the airport and not have to worry about stairs.

One year my mother and I were going to fly out of the San Jose, California airport and discovered after we arrived that we had to go outside on the ground level with the wheelchair to the tarmac. Four airline employees had to carry my mother in the wheelchair up the steep steps to board the plane. This might be impossible if there are weight issues.

Think about what seat arrangement will work best for you needs. Would an aisle seat make it more convenient to get to the restroom? You’ll want to avoid sitting in the emergency exit row. The passengers in this row may be asked to help others in an emergency situation.

Let the airlines and flight attendants know if you have any assisting devices. Find out the best way to store them so they arrive without damage.

Always keep in mind what you can do easily and without assistance, as well as situations that would require help. Can you transfer to seats by yourself? Will you need a transfer board or assistance from airline staff? Consider hiring a travel nurse if you have serious health or medical issues. There are traveling nurses networks.

Can you describe your wheelchair, scooter or walker, dimensions, weight, type of tires, type of batteries, etc.? You may need to take along spare batteries. You also may need to rent or buy a travel wheelchair.

Make sure to mention to your travel agent or airline representative any assisting devices you may need or already have like canes and crutches. Do you need a slow pace or are you a slow walker?

If you will be traveling through different time zones, how will jet lag affect your situation?

Consider how the following will be of concern during your trip and discuss with your travel agent: upper body strength, communication ability, speech issues, voice issues, vision problems, hearing problems, heat issues, medication needs, oxygen requirements, and dietary requirements such as gluten-free meals.

Try to arrange or book your air travel through experienced travel agencies or tour operators that specialize in disabled travel. There are a large number of agencies throughout the U. S., Canada, Europe, Australia and many other countries.

Just in case you need them, it’s also good to know if there are any travel agencies that specialize in disabled travel at your destination, for return travel, local resources or travel services.

At the airport, let airline boarding personnel know that you may need extra time to board the plane. Sit close to the door at the gate so you’re called first and then board at a comfortable pace.

After the plane has landed, never get off the plane until you see or have your assisting device, wheelchair, travel wheelchair, etc. Flight attendants have to stay on the airplane until the last passenger leaves. They will help you while you’re on the plane but once you’re off the plane they won’t be able to help you.

Make sure you carry your medications and back-up prescriptions with you onto the plane, along with doctors’ names, addresses, fax numbers for faxing prescriptions, phone numbers, medical diagnosis, names and dosages of medications you’re taking and any allergies you have. Photocopy passports, airline tickets, American Express Travelers Cheques, credit cards, any important papers.

Carry your health insurance information with you on the plane. Know what you’ll do if you encounter a health problem or medical emergency on your trip. Get travel insurance to ensure less costly medical assistance. These emergency bills may not be covered under your health insurance policy. It’ll ease your mind to have this back-up travel insurance and prevent costly emergency medical charges on your trip. Emergency medical costs can run considerably higher than standard medical fees.

These air travel tips should provide good insurance and help make your airplane travel, with health issues, handicaps, disabilities or special needs, easier, safer and cheaper.

Helen Hecker

http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/air-travel-tips-for-travelers-with-health-issues-or-disabilities-93835.html

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