Leisure Special

Planning a trip today can be confusing and time consuming. A travel agent not only arranges the various modes of transportation, but a travel agent also may be able to save you money with early booking discounts, special fares, hotel deals and travel advisories. Here are some benefits of using a travel agent:

• Save Money - strong working relationships with travel suppliers and the latest in computer reservations technology enable travel agents to access the most up-to-date information on how to get you the best value.
• Traveler Advocates - Your best interests are the priority. ASTA (The American Society of Travel Agents) has a long-standing record of fighting for consumer rights and ASTA member travel agents are required to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics.
• Convenience - The ASTA membership includes travel agents across the country and throughout the world, most of which offer one-stop shopping for all travel arrangements. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have set your mind on traveling around the world, you might run into the difficult task of having to make a hard choice: where do you want to go? The multitude of destinations and travel options is great, but it is also something that you might deal with for days or even weeks before you make a decision.

The best thing to do is to create a top ten list of the places that you always wanted to visit. The list may include different countries or even cities in the same country. No matter what you will place as number one in your list you shouldn’t worry about getting there, as the travel industry is huge today and able to send you to your destination. Try to find out as much as possible about the most attractive destinations. Travel literature offers a wide variety of sources for good information. You can either go at a local bookstore or search online for facts about your destination(s). Read the rest of this entry »

Although direct online booking is an option, it’s still advisable to book through a travel agent. If you choose to contact a hotel directly, travel agents recommend that it may pay to connect in a more conventional way – by phone. Many hotels, both national and independently owned, have toll-free numbers to connect you to reservation specialists. If no such number is available and you must call the hotel directly, be sure to call in the afternoon or night, for the mornings are hectic times while guests’ checkout.

As you make a reservation, confirm the quoted rate and record the confirmation number and the name of the person with whom you spoke. Ask the reservation specialist to repeat him or herself, write down the details, and be clear about the type of room you are getting, if it’s smoking or non-smoking, and what are the check-in and checkout times.

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According to the recent research, just five minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can improve mental health and policymakers should encourage more people to spend time in parks and gardens. They found out that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming can boost mood and self esteem.

“We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise,” Barton said in a statement about the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, who led this study, said that until now no one knew how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show. They both looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders and mental health status taken from 10 existing studies in Britain. Analyzing the activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming.

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A place once filled with Dapdap Trees, developed into a perfect getaway, a place of serenity where the water is clear, the beach is white, and the people are warmed. Your perfect dream vacation awaits you! Come to this place and enjoy summer all-year round. If you opt for a place of relaxation, away from the crowded beach and crowded tourist, truly this place is perfect.

How to get there: Read the rest of this entry »

To make travel more enjoyable and less stressful (owing to how often things go wrong) it is often a good idea to re-iterate a few simple rules that can help prevent disaster. Often these problems can leave a bitter taste in the mouth and leave you with a dislike of the destination, its people and cost a great deal of money. In the worst case scenarios, passports, credit cards and cash may have to be replaced.

It is easy to drop your guard when you are on vacation and enjoying yourself but this is when you are most vulnerable so traveling safely relies on your common sense to guide you. Trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel right, do something about it.

A big mistake made by a lot of holiday makers is they take everything of value with them which makes it very comfortable for snitches and pickpockets to steal their whole identity in one go. You know that when you go out for the day or evening there are only certain things you need, so just take those and leave the rest behind in the safe or security deposit box.

A handy tip is to place a small amount of money in a number of locations like bags or pockets then if you happen to lose a bag, visa card or money, you will still have something there to keep you going until it can be resolved. As an added safety measure, when traveling, carry credit cards from different accounts then should one be lost or stolen there is a second to fall back on.

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Why not take the initiative and find your own ways to cheap travel by making your own discount? As you know, hotel and rental car owners don’t just offer you discounts at random. Usually, they offer discounts during off-peak seasons. As a savvy traveler, do you know that you can take the initiative and create your own travel discounts easily? Below are some quick and easy methods for doing so:

• If you’re planning to stay for more than a week, call the hotel that you’d want to stay in and ask for week long stay discounts, these can range for percentages off your room price or even a “free day.”
• Check detour flights other than the straight one you’re bound to get when you inquire. You can get cheaper overall prices if you choose to book two flights instead of one. Some people have been able to save as much as $2000 by doing this.
• Find web-only discounts or coupons which some hotels and airline owners provide especially for those willing to reserve online. You can save as much as 50% on your travel costs by going this way. Read the rest of this entry »