When booking an overseas trip, a travel agent will usually encourage you to buy trip insurance. Depending on your preconceived notion about travel insurance, you might think two different things. You may consider it as a necessity or an unnecessary expense. So which is it?

Too many travelers think that “nothing bad will happen” but then again, anyone can suffer from heart attack anywhere in the world. Sounds highly unlikely? Consider this then. In 2004, tsunami hit a popular beach destination in Thailand. Petra Nemcova, a supermodel, barely survived. Her boyfriend was killed together with hundreds of tourists and locals. The tsunami also killed thousands of people in other parts of Asia.

Natural disasters can happen when you least expect it. And when you combine this with health risks, the possibility of cancelled flights, and international immigration problems, the cost of travel insurance literally looks like pennies when compared to what you will spend otherwise. “Prevention is better than cure”, the saying is applicable in this case because you certainly don’t want to spend your lifetime savings for something that could have easily been covered by a travel insurance company.

There are many other reasons to consider travel insurance. Here are some of the common travel scenarios where having insurance can help you:

1. Stolen passport and wallet. Emergency passport replacement and cash is needed.

2. Accidents. You require adequate medical care or evacuation.

3. Lost Luggage. You need your medication and emergency prescription will be given.

4. Medical Emergencies. Travel insurance can cover you wherever you are in the world.

5. You need to cancel the flight because of illness or other emergencies.

6. Hurricanes and other weather conditions. You were asked to evacuate your current accommodation.

7. Terrorist incidents. You want to cancel your trip.

Looking back at Nemcova’s experience in Thailand, what can you possibility do in this case? If you got injured in this instance, the cost of getting an air ambulance can go upwards of $25,000. Can you pay for it? Travel insurance can mean the difference between getting proper medical care and going to the charity ward.

Emergency medical expenses provide coverage for emergency medical treatment if a sickness or injury occurs while traveling. Policies typically also come with emergency medical evacuation which provides coverage for emergency evacuation, if necessary, to the nearest qualified medical facility. Emergency medical expenses are covered up to one hundred thousand and up to one million for evacuation in comprehensive policies.

So is travel insurance worth the cost? Based on the scenarios given above, travel insurance is a necessity. It is a cost definitely worth the cost when you consider the alternative. However, remember that you need to get the kind of travel insurance that covers all major emergencies to get the most out of it.

On paper, teaching English abroad is a pretty sweet option – exploring new cultures, getting paid to travel, notching up awesome stories to tell your mates back home.

But thinking you’re going to do it, and actually, properly getting on that plane are two very different things. So what holds people back? Fear that’s what! Teaching abroad may be great, but leaving everything you’ve ever known (including gravy, Radio 4 and Jaffa Cakes) behind can be a tad daunting. So, to help you turn feeling scared into feeling excited about the opportunities offered by TEFL, here are people’s most common TEFL fears and how to face them:

Fear 1: My students will eat me alive

Kids. A lot of the time they’re cute and well-behaved, but sometimes it feels like the spawn of Satan is sat at the desk in front of you. Lovely Astrid for instance recently had one kid sitting in class systematically breaking pencils in half. Not nice. Adults aren’t an easy option either – while they probably won’t smash up your stationery they can undermine your authority and start taking over your show.

Solution: Be assertive and take a stand, as students (of all ages) can smell fear, seriously. You’ll also feel much more confident about situations, and know how to cope with them better, if you do a TEFL course before you head out.

Fear 2: My school will treat me like dirt

The optimistic part of you is hoping for golden sands, friendly locals and lots of spare time to explore. The less optimistic part of you is imagining a dungeon-esque classroom which you’re locked into 7-days a week and forced to run English corners for the rest of eternity.

Solution: Research! Make sure you chat to people on forums and do a few Google searches of your school before you sign your name of the dotted line. You also need to negotiate with your employer to make sure that your expectations are going to be delivered. Ultimately though, take things you read online with a pinch of salt, as if everyone took everything the read on the internet seriously we’d never leave our houses. Also, if your school isn’t what you hoped it would be, there will be other options while you’re in-country. And if you do feel you need that extra support, a supported internship program like these might be the thing for you

Fear 3: I’ll be alone

All together now… ‘All by myself, don’t wanna be…’

What use is experiencing all these amazing new things if you don’t have anyone to share them with? You could be in the most incredible place in the world, but if you’re sat in a crummy apartment eating instant noodles and watching TV shows you can’t understand you won’t be having the best time in the world.

Solution: Get out there! There are loads of ways to make friends whenever you’re in a new country – start with the people directly around you (other teachers at your school, students) and branch out from there. Emma Foers has some great advice for making friends when you’re new in town. Alternatively, sign up to a supported programme, like the Teach in China internship, where you’ll get a chance to meet lots of other people who are in the same boat as you.

Fear 4: I won’t like the food

Tasty Chinese food

It’s a fact of life – some people just aren’t that adventurous when it comes to food. In fact I had one ex-boyfriend whose entire diet consisted of beige food: cheese, bread, chicken, more cheese. I think he made an exception for bacon. Buut – it has a happy ending folks – he went out to Japan to teach English after uni and is having such a great time that he’s still out there. So I figure if he can get over his irrational fear of tomatoes to fulfil his travel dreams, anyone can.

Fear 5: I’ll be unemployable when I get home

You’re clued up, you’ve got a five year plan, but how does TEFL fit into it? Won’t employers see your swanning off around the world to teach English as rather indulgent? I mean, shouldn’t you have been back at home chained to a desk like they were at your age?!

Got more TEFL fears? Click here to request a free consultation with an i-to-i TEFL expert to chat through them.

*For the uninitiated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHDMZEw5f7Q”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHDMZEw5f7Q

What are your TEFL fears? And how did you get over them?

f you are looking for ideal evening entertainments in China, there are several leading shows you should never miss.

Beijing Opera Show: Beijing Opera, mostly known as Peking Opera, is a purely Chinese opera form, which dates back to the year 1790. That year, four local opera troupes of Anhui Province came to Beijing on a performance tour on the order of the imperial court.

The 1.5 hour Peking Opera is full of Chinese cultural facts, the opera presents to the audience an encyclopedia of Chinese culture as well as unfolding stories, beautiful paintings, exquisite costumes, graceful gestures and acrobatic fighting.

The costumes in Peking opera are graceful, magnificent, elegant and brilliant, most of which are made in handicraft embroidery. As the traditional Chinese patterns are adopted, the costumes are of a high aesthetic value.

Lucky customer can have chance to see the makes-up before the performance starts. In Peking Opera, the colors of the faces represent different characters and personality. For example:

The county historical museum of Morgan displays authentic work of art by Howard Christy, a boy from local region who made his well known Christy girls gracing the covers of all the most popular magazines in the early 1900?s.  Museum also exposes the artifacts of Mc Donald Birch. You will see farm machinery, antique household machines, Victorian furnishing and much more.

The museum also has a very extensive civil war collection, as well as artifacts from the Mexican war, form the American Revolution, and World wars first and second. This amazing ability will carry you to explain the ages and an inclusive exposition of life in the valley of Muskingum River region form the Stone Age through World war second. Built in 1904, the building housing the museum was originally a produce store, then a market and later a feed store. Over the years everything from tractors and farm equipment to greeting cards has been sold from this lovely building.

Button house

Evelyn true button house transport you back in time. The stylish home was built in 1836 and is crafted with period pieces dating from the 1830?s to the 1890?s. The house features 12 Victorian rooms that are absolutely authentic.

You can go through and adore the cupboard, inspect the artwork that adorns the walls and the summer kitchen. Furnished with original lines and quilts, it may be the most exact Victorian home you will ever seen, local artwork, period clothing and dishes. Most of the furniture was donated by the Mc Connel and True families.

The doll house

The doll house features the society?s collection of over 2500 dolls. The dolls are of all types-and from many different eras of history. The collection include Native American dolls, ethnic dolls, movie star dolls, character dolls, designer dolls, teddy bears, handmade dolls, rag dolls, Barbie dolls,  Eganbee dolls, Madame Alexander dolls, antique china dolls, antique leather dolls, just about every type of doll you can imagine.

The building was furnished in 1870 and cared as the medical offices of Dr. Hiram L. True.

The carriage house

While touring the Evelyn true button house, take a walk out back and discover how the Victorians made their way about town. The authentic era fire engine is ready just waiting for the volunteers to hook up the team. And the horse drawn hearse awaits as well, ready to take unfortunate souls to their eternal slumber. There are tools of every type, shape and size hand crafted and elegant.

Rock hollow schoolhouse

This authentic one room school was moved from Union Township in Morgan County to Malta by the Morgan county Historical society.

Visiting Morgan county historical museum

These museums and homes may be visited combined or separately as a package tour. Group tours are available by calling the Morgan county historical society. In addition to the published times hours for group tours are flexible.

When looking for a good place to visit, enjoy the holiday, vacation or a weekend, you certainly think of a quiet place with beautiful landscapes, beaches, leisure and entertainment. For these inquiries fit nicely with Mombasa, Kenya. This coastal city of Mombasa with a population exceeding 35 thousand inhabitants, has beaches and beautiful places that attract tourists every year around the world. The city has much history and many magical places to offer its visitors.

Its historic center is preserved the same way in 1820, with paving “walking boy”. The streets keep the same paths once the source to the west and north to south. Even today they are protected by current blocking the passage of cars and preserving even the entire colonial charm. Cars may be moved through the streets that border with the Center. The houses, trade, culture in general is followed to the letter to the old ways.

Better exploitation of the entire city and its natural beauty to discover a haven of peace, colors and flavors. We can find several inns and Hotels in Mombasa with very affordable price. You can get a great price daily at the City in the range of $ 100.00 for 3 people with the right breakfast.

During the day, we can take a smooth ride across town knowing the historical places. And also not forgetting to enjoy the beautiful beaches. The beaches of Malindi for example are great, and you can still enjoy a good ride schooner through the islands and beaches of the region.

The night booking many other attractions. When fairs are held at the cultural center, concerts, and attend events. There are some clubs that offer a super club, beer houses, among other attractions always with a nice price.

And do not leave without trying the local cuisine. Wonderful dishes, especially seafood. The sweets are irresistible: carts are viewed everywhere selling the most delicious homemade sweets. The restaurants are of great quality and very pleasant environments.

You would also wish to visiupcountry for great excusion. In your tour you will find great places to enjoy. There are also kenya hotels that will serve you better to ensure that your visit remains great.

Now we need you to come take it all personally. Good trip, good ride and check back often!

More and more families are switching to camping from conventional hotel and B & B holidays. They’ve discovered that with the wide range of outdoor equipment available from online stores like us at Outdoor World Direct, they can be just as comfortable as they would be in a chalet or hotel. What’s more, you’ve got the freedom to travel. If you don’t like the spot you’ve chosen – you can just up sticks (or poles) and move on. You can’t do this if you’ve just splashed out a couple of grand on a holiday cottage.
Camping under canvas can take some getting used to. Luckily, modern camping equipment is designed to make the transition as effortless as possible. Take dining, for instance. Once, it was a case of boy-scout tactics, a pot suspended over a campfire and ash in your coffee cup. Now, you can buy foldaway tables and chairs, camp kitchen units, and Calor gas hobs and ovens that work just like the ones at home. Many people love the latest twin-burner travel stoves and transportable grills – just as handy for a day out as a camping trip.  
Of course, being Chef Ramsay on holiday doesn’t mean packing the kitchen sink, as most sites have washing-up facilities, but you may prefer to pack a washing-up bowl rather than queue for hours to use the one hot tap on the site. If you’ve got an electric hook-up, you’ve got the advantage of hot water from an electric kettle, rather than boiling it on a gas stove. Purchase one of the larger kitchen stands with a side-table and it will take up practically no room in the car, but will give you all the convenience of a self-catering fitted kitchen. Modern camping equipment is all about comfort, as well as style.
The one down-fall of living under canvas is that you can hear every sound – including your fellow campers snoring. If you have pets or young children, there’s the added problem of cars. Most sites allow you to park right next to your pitch, which can be dangerous at the height of the season.  
Don’t ask why, but the busiest areas of the campsites always seem to be those nearest the toilet block. After that, it’s the water supply. So you’ll have a far quieter, safer time pitching well away from these two areas. This may mean you don’t get an electric hook-up, but it doesn’t mean you need to traipse half a mile to get water, or use the toilet. We at Outdoor World Direct sell large roll-along water carriers as well as camping toilets and toilet tents.  Our outdoor equipment pages include a range of non-electric lighting and food cooling options as well, meaning you can camp in seclusion and comfort.  
Whether it’s getting water, emptying the Porta Potti or visiting the bar, you’ll need the correct footwear – so invest in good walking shoes for the whole family. If you decide on trainers, make sure you get them from an outdoor equipment specialist. That way, you’ll know they’ll be waterproof and sturdy enough for all terrains – giving you the option to really get away from it all and head for the hills.