“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

All good things come to an end and so does your trip. Hopefully you have had a great time and some wonderful memories.

Here are a few small things to remember to get a good ending to your trip:

• Do not pack your home keys in the check-in baggage. If your bag gets lost you can get into trouble.
• Reconfirm your airline ticket a few days before going home. The flight time may have changed and sometimes you can get bumped from a flight if you do not reconfirm.
• Store clothes used on your trip separately from other stuff at home until you have washed them if you have been in places with loads of critters. You may have brought bugs with you which can spread all over your house.
• Do not forget to keep enough money (in the right currency) to pay for the transportation to the airport, extra charge for overweight luggage and any airport tax which is not included in your ticket price (which often has to be paid in cash in local currency).
• Keeping a journal or diary is a great way to preserve your memories. Sure you have your photos but the little things like the time your waiter messed up all your orders or that little girl dancing in the doorway in Havana are just as memorable and can bring back some great memories on that cold and rainy November day when you are home from work with the flu.
  

  • There are several on-line journals where you can store your writing and also upload pictures from your journey. Not only is this a great way to share your adventure with friends and family at home while you are on the road, it is also a good way to have a back-up in case your paper journal gets lost.

  • It is often possible for people to leave comments in your travelogue which is a fun way to keep in touch with people at home. The comments that some of your friends leave in your virtual journal may not always the kind that you want your co-workers and family to read about You can handle this by dividing your contacts into two categories, registering two journals with different distribution lists and uploading everything twice (just copy and paste between them).

  • If you keep a physical journal you can also put aside some space for collecting peoples e-mail addresses. Ask people you meet to write a small greeting beside their e-mail.

Happy travels!

Pondicherry has a gorgeous and fine-looking uncontaminated beach that is extends nearly1.5km long. The beach here is the main attraction for the tourists who visit this place.

Some additional places of traveler interest in Pondicherry are: – French Institute , Manacle Vinayanagar , Mansion Anandha, Mailam Murugan Temple , Jawahar Toy Museum , Mandagupettu , Ousteri Lake .

Even though Pondicherry is extremely small in size, it pulls a good number of travelers coming to India. The exceptional saintly attraction of the destination is enhanced by the fact that it was a dwelling to the famous poet Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Mirra Alfassa and she belonged to Paris. A talented and a skillful pianist and a painter, she happens to be a follower of Shri Aurobindo . Pondicherry in the recent times is a union territory with its region spread over three dissimilar states in the nation. The capital city of the union territory of Pondicherry is also famous as ‘Pondicherry’ and is to be found on the Coromandel Coast on the Bay of Bengal, at a space of nearly 165 Kms from the famous city Chennai. Karaikal is an additional part of Pondicherry, which is also positioned in the state of Tamil Nadu. The additional two parts are Yanam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahe placed on the southern bank of river Mahe on the western coast of Kerala.

Once upon a time a French settlement, Pondicherry still has a small number of French families existing there and French is an important language which is spoken by most of the residents here. The French force can be seen in the very outline of the town. The wonderful  and outstanding statues of Joseph Francois Dupleix and Joan of Arc, the fighter saint of France informs of a noteworthy French power on the part of the destination. The French Institute of Ideology and Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient are the existing heritage of the previous French profession of the region.

Languages-Local residents are usually speaking French but there are quite a few other languages which are spoken here. The other Languages frequently spoken in Pondicherry are Tamil, Telugu, Malayam, Hindi, French and English.

Climate

The state takes pleasure in a tropical climate that is it is generally hot and humidity is immense and the monsoon commences from October and lasts till December. On the whole because of the beautiful attractions present here it is fast picking up as a great tourist destination.

When you are single, it is easy to have a cheap vacation. If you want to travel somewhere and do not want to pay for a hotel room, you can simply backpack and camp out. If you are looking to go abroad, you can stay in a hotel and save tons of money. But once you have children, it becomes much more difficult to book a cheap vacation. Children have special needs, especially young ones, and can often turn a camping trip that would be relaxing into a nightmare. There are some ways, however, to make a vacation for the whole family a cheap vacation.

Look for packages

When you are vacationing and looking for a cheap vacation, many hotels will offer a package deal that you can use. These deals might include sight seeing tours or babysitting services. One of the ways to find these package deals is to constantly look for them, but many hotels will allow you to sign up on their email mailing list. This will allow them to contact you whenever they have a special going on, making it easier to book a cheap vacation.

Look to the State

Most of us forget about state parks and other state offers that pop up, often because these state amusements do not have the same type of public relations people that the more expensive places do. If you are looking for a cheap vacation, why not take your children to a national museum or a park? These places are often very inexpensive to visit and are educational as well, allowing you to spend money on your room while saving money on your activities.

Rent a House

If you are looking for a cheap vacation and you have a number of children, or if you are going on vacation with a number of other people, why not rent a house?  There are tons of different vacation homes and cottages that can be rented, saving you money and giving you a cheap vacation.  For instance, some hotels cost $200 a night, and you may be able to rent a cottage that is large enough for your entire family, or for you and some friends, for $600 for the entire week. This would save you over half of what you would have spent if you rented a hotel room. This is a great way to get a cheap vacation and to have great accommodations while you are at it, and most cottages and cabins are perfect for children, giving you the privacy many children require.

It is not impossible to have a cheap vacation when you have children, you just need to learn to think outside of the box.  Do not always look for a cheap vacation from the mainstream hotel owners and vacation guides, but instead look for a cheap vacation in the places that you would never think to look. Ask other parents what their secret is and, as always, never be afraid to consult with the internet in order to see what other people are doing to get a cheap vacation for the entire family.

Forever Grand Vacations provide tips to its many members that are designed to reduce the burden of stress during travel to make your vacations happy and relaxed.
Traveling can be stressful to say the least even for the experienced air traveler
Forever Grand Vacations counsel that, your private safety should be at the vanguard of your intellect while journeying abroad. After all , venturing through regions where there could be a language difference and being unaware of your environment can make you more vulnerable than at home. While you should usually be aware, cautious and alert when traveling abroad, you should additionally be ready to relax and revel in the experience.
Forever Grand Vacations offers these useful safety tips when you travel to boost your personal safety :
Purchase travel insurance. Travel insurance can save you hassle and money. Medical insurance isn’t world, so it’s important to understand the medical care systems of the states you’ll be visiting. Some have free medical care ; others use privately owned providers. If you get ill while traveling, you’re answerable for paying all the expenses related to your recovery. Many travel insurance services include international medical coverage so you are not stuck with a serious medical bill. They can also include coverage for cancelled flights, lost baggage and more
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2. Security in a crowd. Forever Grand Vacations urges whenever possible travel with others whom you trust to remain alert and involved in travel plans. Petty burglars target travelers that are alone and large tourist groups alike. When you are with a grouping of chums, you could be more trusting and less aware of your environment. Stay alert watch around you.
3. Plan your trip so you arrive during the daytime. Attempt to arrange your arrival in another country during daylight hours. It’s safer to travel from the airfield or train station when the bulk of enterprises will be open and more folks will be outside.
4. Learn transportation regulations. In some countries, certificated taxis are only discernible by the color of their license plates. However , you will get offers from informal cabs or personal drivers. Never accept these offers. Proactively research these details ahead of time so you know what to expect.
five. Obey traffic signals and patterns. Pedestrian and traffic rules can alter among countries, so be sure to learn the rules in your host country. For example, if you are visiting an area where drivers use the left-hand side of the road, become familiar with the change by first riding in taxi taxis. This way, you’ll have time to adjust before taking to the road.
six. Bring copies of vital info. Make photocopies of your passport, driver’s license, flight itinerary and any other important information. Store these documents in a zippered compartment in your case or at the front desk of your hotel. As an additional care, scan these documents and e-mail them to oneself, making them easily reached should you want them. Write down phone numbers of the members of your family and accommodations while you are away in case you misplace or are unable to use your cell telephone.
Forever Grand Vacations hopes this valuable piece of travel advice will make your trip safe and contented. Forever Grand Vacations desire all travelers to have the best possible holidays experience. For more travel recommendation check our web site Forever Grand Vacations provide

The Paris Marathon, or the French say, the Marathon de Paris, was established in 1977 with the 1970’s craze for big city Marathons, and is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most popular marathons in Europe after London! And where better than the most romantic city in the World for a running holiday!!

The Paris Marathon starts on one of the World’s most famous streets, the Champs Elysees, and attracting over 35,000 runners each year, this is a truly memorable journey through to the finish in the spectacular Avenue Foch. Medals and certificates are issued for all runners who finish within the time limit of 5hrs 40mins.

Did you know? The very first marathon in Paris was on Sunday the 19th of July 1896, there was a big crowd at Porte Maillot for the first French marathon, which brought together 191 participants. After a 2h31’30’‘ race, and cheered on by 2.000 spectators, the British man Len Hurst crossed the finishing line traced out on the Conflans bridge. After a brief moment in the arms of his coach Boon, he regained all his strength in order to receive the 200 francs from the Petit Journal.

In the 2009 Paris Marathon, there were nearly 40,000 entrants, with over 30,000 finishing the marathon. Over 5,000 marathon runners entered from the UK, nearly half of the total 12,265 international entries. Interestingly, during the Paris Marathon itself, there were 220 000 spectators, 2 700 volunteers, 30 000 sponges, 84 music groups on the route and the marathon runners consumed 18 000 kg of bananas, 17 050 kg of oranges, 440 000 bottles of water, 2 000 kg of dried fruit and 2 000 kg of sugar cubes!!

Now, doesn’t that make you want to run the Paris Marathon??

This year it will held on April 11th, 2010 – 8:45 a.m (handisports: 8:35 a.m) on the Champs Elys?es. Total distance covered will be 42,195 km in the City of Paris…
From the Champs ?lys?es Avenue to Foch Avenue running through Bastille, Nation, Vincennes, les Tuileries…

In my many years as a traveler, I have managed to gather wide experience in not just the destinations I have visited but also in the means of getting to those places including getting cheap flights to Dubai. Travelling across borders is one of the most thrilling experiences you can ever have and I have had my own fair share of the very best of them. When I decided to start documenting my travels and giving people the benefit of my knowledge about people and places, I was surprised to receive emails from people who wanted to know how I had managed to fund such travels. Some asked if I inherited a huge sum of money from a relative or won a lottery. Some even asked if I married a rich man’s daughter and just live off the fortune. I really wish I had the fortune of marrying a rich man’s kid (hope my wife doesn’t read this). I answered some of the mails and I have decided to reproduce the answers I provided here for the benefit of those who wish to know how to get cheap flights to allow you get the cheap holidays you so much desire.
1. I have made it a point to use a particular airline as frequently as possible in order to get the
cheapest airfare. This is partly because I am a loyal customer but largely because I want them to get to know me well enough to note me as a frequent flyer in their system. This ensures that I am qualified for any promos they may have for those who fly often with them. You won’t believe how many precious pounds Sterling getting a cheap flight to Europe this has saved me. So I advise you to try to make sure that you use the same airline as frequently as possible and assure yourself of the cheapest flights.
2. If you compare holidays you’ll see that I am a chronic traveler but then, I travel pretty light. This is not to say that I don’t carry anything. I need to carry my cameras as well as some other essential stuff but then I keep them to a very manageable minimum. The reason is that many airlines charge for checked bags. This translates to the fact that you are better off with a carry-on bag instead of hauling bags around with you on your travels. Little drops of water they say, makes a mighty ocean.
3. Now, this point applies particular to the short hauls and by this, I means those flights which don’t last more than three to four hours. I guess flights within the UK and then from the UK to a number of European countries will fall into this category. It’s like this…avoid eating in-flight. Simple, right? That’s it. I make sure that I eat at home before embarking on the flight so I avoid having to buy food on the plane or for that matter, at the expensive outlets in the airports.
4. I make it a point to book my air tickets on the internet so I can compare flight prices. In my years of experience, I have to know that this saves me a lot of pounds particularly as I compare cheap flights.

If you’ve never applied for a passport before, you may have no idea where to start. Where is your nearest passport office? Where do you go to submit a passport application?

There are two different types of passport offices that citizens should be aware of. The type of passport office you will visit depends on the type of passport services you require.

Most US citizens applying in person for a new passport can go to a passport acceptance facility. These passport offices are located inside other government offices, such as post offices, libraries and county court clerk’s offices. You can find the closest one to you by searching on the Department of State’s website. Passport acceptance facilities will accept applications for new passports and offer two different types of services: regular and expedited service.

Regular service usually takes at least 6 weeks, while expedited service usually takes at least 3. Processing times for each can vary, depending on how many applications the Department of State is dealing with at the time, so check the Department of State’s website for the most up-to-date information.

What if you need your passport sooner than that? If you are traveling within the next 2 weeks and you still need a passport, you can make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office to have a same day passport issued. These offices operate by appointment only. You must bring all necessary documents with you, along with your itinerary. To make an appointment, call 1 (877) 487-2778. Regional passport agency offices are closed on weekends and for all federal holidays.

There are currently only 19 regional passport agency offices in the entire US. If you don’t have a regional passport agency office nearby, you have two options: make an appointment and travel to whichever office is closest, or use a private passport expediting company instead. With an expediting company, you mail your application materials to the company and they will submit it the passport agency on your behalf.

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Choosing Flights to Russia

Choosing Flights to Russia is not a big deal since so many agencies are there to facilitate the foreigners. You can contact these agencies in person, over phone, through e-mail, or by fax. They will do all the necessary works for you. However, the agencies will be charging you for these works. To get the flight tickets, you must have Russian visa. These agencies also help you to get visa to Russia.

Many flights are available to travel to Russia. Different flights charge differently based on the service they are providing. Normally, the return flight cost to Moscow would be around US $600 to US $900 from the United States of America, around ?200 from the United Kingdom, and about 230€ from Europe. Taxes are applicable when you get ticket to Russia; it would be around US $50 for the direct flights. However, if you are looking for a budget airline, sure, you can get many lowest-fare flights to Russia. Some low-fare flights would charge around US $470-650 from New York to Moscow and about US $690-900 from Los Angeles to Moscow.

Usually, during the season, the flight fare would be higher. During summer season, the price may go up to 50%. Even though there are many flights available, some flights like Aeroflot Russian Airlines, AirFrance, Al Italia, American Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, FinnAir, KLM, Lufthansa, Sibir Airlines, and Transaero are offering some good deals.

The Russian Airline Companies that offer cheap tickets to Russia are as follows. Aeroflot Russian Airlines offer very low-fare tickets to Russia. The service offered by them is so good; it so safe to travel by these flights since they are employing experienced pilots. In addition, you can have a wide variety of food; however, you must book for your dish in advance. Sibir Airlines is the second most important flight service provider in Russia. They provide very good service on low cost! Transaero is not providing very pleasing service; however, sometimes, they offer very low-prices tickets. Pulkovo is a St. Petersburg-based airways company, which offers flights regularly between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Sometimes, it also offers some good international flights from St. Petersburg.

There are many ways to get discount on your ticket fare and save your money. Many airlines give discount for ISIC cardholders and students. You can avail ISIC card at your universities or at student travel agencies (STA, visit STA sells flight tickets at a lower price to students. Last-minute deals would be a good choice to get cheaper tickets. You can get such tickets through some specialized agencies. These are the tickets; somebody sells it for a reduced price since they would not be in a situation to use that ticket. Usually, you can get this ticket only in a rush; however, it would be the cheapest! Air courier for a flight is an option to save your money while you fly! Your job is to carry something of someone. To be a member of an air courier organization, you must pay US $30 to the air courier organization; but you will get attractive discounts for the whale package at russiagateway.

Many people get time off over the holidays, and they want to make the most of that time. There are plenty of places where you can spend the holidays enjoying a lovely vacation. Disneyland and Disney World are among the busiest places on holidays, including Christmas day. People of all ages find the magic kingdoms to be a delightful place to make memories for the holidays with their entire family.

Since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, many people find themselves with a four or five day weekend over that period of time. Going to Las Vegas is a great place to spend this holiday as it is always alive with action 24 hours per day. You will also find plenty of restaurants in Las Vegas that offer you the best Thanksgiving Day meal you have ever been a part of.

Las Vegas is also one of the most popular locations for New Years Eve. The entire strip is shut down from traffic and people are dancing, drinking, and having a good time in the streets. Many people compare it to the activities taking place in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Spring break is a very popular holiday for the high school and college crowds. They often choose to spend that time at various beaches including those in Florida and California. Hotels are over run with these people having parties all night long and then spending their days at the beach.

Most of these beaches host fabulous activities during spring break to make sure people keep coming back year after year. Live music, dances, and various contests are just a sample of the different contests you can enter. Since spring break falls differently for various schools, these beaches are often full from the second week of March until the very end of the month.

Surprising someone you love with a fun vacation to another country or a part of the world they have always wanted to see is a great way to share the holidays. Imagine waking up Christmas morning in Spain or Paris instead of at home. There are plenty of great places that you can see during the holidays so don’t limit your options.

The down side to traveling to popular vacation spots for the holidays is that they are in demand. That means you will likely pay more to visit them during that time of year than normal. You will also need to make your reservations early or you will find that all the flights or the hotels have sold out and you won’t be able to spend the holidays there.

Take a look at various vacation package deals to help you save as much money as possible when you take a vacation over the holidays. Most package deals for travel include your airfare, hotel accommodations, and a rental car if you want one. You can also choose to add tickets for shows or events you want to take part in.

Once you have decided where you want to spend the holidays, you can start comparing prices. Find out what your local travel agent can offer you and surf the internet on your own. Don’t forget to look in the travel section of the newspaper or to take advantage of advertisements you get in the mail. For many people the ability to be able to take a vacation over the holidays will depend on the price they are able to get the trip for.

There will also be more people to deal with at that particular vacation spot over the holidays in most instances. If you don’t like being a part of a large crowd or you hate to wait in line, you will want to prepare yourself for these issues while vacationing over the holidays. This way you can focus on having a great time instead of getting stressed out over such issues that you have no control over.

Many of the airlines offer various kinds of discount on airfare prices to the travelers by motivating them to fly with them. They are trying to create a brand of loyal customers who will only prefer to fly with them. Hence, these airlines offer the best to retain their customer base.

There are frequent flyer programs made available for frequent travelers. The aim of the frequent flyer program is to offer some points each time the traveler flies with them which are called as the mileage points depending on the destination the traveler travels to covering certain miles. These points can be redeemed either for a gift or air ticket or even discounts on the air tickets. The airlines are making adjustments with the policies concerning the frequent flyer miles. If the miles saved by the traveler for a special trip are at risk, the major airlines send a reminder by mail or email provided the mail address is available and the email filter does not filter the email. The airlines also give an option of either donating the miles to some one as a gift or exchange it for a subscription for a newspaper or magazine etc.

When the flight is overbooked some of the major airlines ask any of its passengers to volunteer to step off the flight and in turn provide them with vouchers worth $500 or more which can be used on their future flights within a period of one year.

Promotional offers are also made by major airlines. If a person buys a certain number of air tickets on the credit card, he will be given certain number of free air tickets. Marketing promotional made by major air lines may offer free tickets for participants in any of their contests.

The innovative techniques used by major airlines to sell their air tickets well in advance includes discount offered on the bulk air tickets purchased by business people who travel extensively. Under such discount schemes the savings made by business people is substantial.

While planning business or vacation trips it is good to combine both the travel and hotel stay packages as money is saved on both travel and stay. Major airlines offers are all over the internet as many airlines websites and other websites provide special discounts when air tickets are booked over internet and for e-tickets.

Even the credit card companies have tie ups with major airlines providing their customers reward points for using the credit cards and offering them free or discounted air tickets in return to the points gathered as a promotional offer.

Some times it so happens that a person writes a genuine compliant and the major airlines apologize and send him an air ticket even free of cost. The major airlines have mastered the art of selling their air tickets and the customers too know where and how to get air tickets for discounted and cheaper prices.