Whenever you are traveling to a place that you have never been before, particularly where a vacation or relocation is involved, you should always make sure that safety is your top priority. Every year, we see reports of people who are reported missing while on vacation. Most recently, there was a report of a woman who went missing while on a cruise ship!
For instance, if you are traveling by car and you are by yourself, make sure that you pack everything that you need prior to departing your home, and make sure that whatever you have packed in your vehicle is mostly out of sight and in a place where you will not fiddle with it later. For example, when I was moving my stuff back home to New York from college in North Carolina, most of the items fit in the trunk of my car. However, there were some items that I had to put in the main body of my vehicle. So, what did I do? I covered these items with an old bed sheet so that they were not visible to anyone outside of my car.
Too often, we see or hear of people who stop at rest stops along the highway or gas stations, and then they suddenly realize that they want to dig through all of the items that they have packed in their vehicle in order to get whatever it is that they were searching for. In the meantime, unknown to them, someone is watching everything that they are doing. Then, as soon as the person leaves their car to go inside and use the bathroom or get food, they come back out to realize that their car has been broken into, vandalized or worse- stolen! If you do find that you need to retrieve something from the items that you have already packed, make sure that you do it after you have come out of the rest stop. In doing this, you can then retrieve your item and then leave the area immediately versus giving someone else the opportunity to see just how much stuff you packed in your vehicle.
When traveling, you should always travel with an emergency kit of some sort. If you are traveling by car, your emergency kit should be a tub that you keep in the trunk area of your car that contains items such as a spare tire (not necessarily housed in the tub), a car jack/car kit, flashlight with batteries, cell phone charger, blanket, first aid kit, paper map, flares, jumper cable as well as whatever else you might want to personalize your kit with. If you are traveling with someone else or by plane, etc. then your emergency kit should consist of items that are small enough to fit within your purse or bag. Items could include such things as: any medications that you may be taking, a small first aid kit, cell phone charger, a hard copy of emergency phone numbers and some loose cash to use in case of an emergency such as to call a cab, make a phone call or purchase food.

<input id=”gwProxy” type=”hidden” /><input id=”jsProxy”>

Among the most ultimate Universal Studios packages that you can ever have for your teen vacation is the Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure which is one of the best and fantastic parks in the entire state of Florida with all its realistic scenic backdrops, thrilling effects, and wonderful rides that makes this ‘island’ one of the most adventurous piece of land in the region. If you want your family to have the most thrilling experience of their lives, you can always choose the different Universal Studios packages that can offer you unlimited access to the wonderful attractions offered by the Island.
The good thing about availing a Universal Studio vacation package that is inclusive of multi – ride passes is that you are able to fully enjoy all the attractions offered by the park without the need to wait in long line just to purchase the ticket you need for a particular ride. Ultimate vacation packages also allow you enjoy plenty of park privileges not to mention excellent accommodation options where you can have a very comfortable and relaxing place to stay after a tiring day of thrill rides and visiting different attractions in the area. And depending on your type of vacation package, you can also have certain seating privileges on select Universal Studio restaurants where superb cuisines and world class service is guaranteed.
When you reach the Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure theme park, you will find that there are actually lots of things you can enjoy there and one day of exploration will never be enough to fully experience all the exciting things this park can offer to you and your family. For starters, you can have the opportunity to experience being a reporter as you take the place Peter Parker in the Adventures of Spider Man right at the Super Hero Island. This is a state of the art 3D motion simulator that will take you all around the city of New York, where you can encounter the different villains in the life of Spiderman. You can also have a fun time being the alter ego of Doctor Doom or ride the Incredible Hulk roller coaster where you can experience the speed you never knew possible for a coaster ride. And right at the opposite side of the theme park, you can be able to choose your sides either with Ice or Fire as you face the Dueling Dragons.
There are still lots of fantastic things you can experience with your choice of Universal Studios packages for your family vacation. You can have an incredible ride at the Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls or experience the Jurassic Park’s River Adventure. Getting wet while being fully scared is one way of enhancing your wonderful experience at Universal Studios while savoring all the realistic experience you can have from this superb theme park right in Orlando Florida. You only have to remember that you need not spend lots of money in order to experience all this fun. With the right Universal Studio package, you can be able to bring your family here without breaking the bank.

Snow-capped Kilimanjaro, floating above the clouds is no doubt one of the most beautiful and impressive sights in the natural world. Even hard-boiled non-believers, in their unguarded moments, empathise with the Maasai who call it the “House of God”. The mountain is one of the Seven Top Summits of the world –it has the highest point on the African continent.

Though there are higher mountains, they form part of mountain ranges, Everest for example. But Kili, as it is popularly known, is the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It rises gently from 3,000 feet, reaches for the heavens and only halts after a 16,000 feet ascent. The diameter at the base is an amazing 64 kilometres.

Kilimanjaro is located to the northeast of Tanzania, on the border with Kenya. There is a popular myth of how the mountain came to be part of Tanzania, which was at one time part of the German Empire.

Queen Victoria is supposed to have granted the mountain to her German grandson Wilhelm (later Kaiser Wilhelm II) as a birthday gift. It is also said that the Germans had been grumbling at the blatant unfairness of missing a snowcapped mountain within their empire while the Queen has two – the second being Mount Kenya.

Though historians have discredited the myth, it has refused to die and it is still a source of amusement for many. Unwilling to allow the truth to stand in the way, some anti-colonial historians fume with indignation, citing how the boundaries of Eastern Africa were arbitrarily decided in the capitals of the imperial powers.

To most people in the west, Kilimanjaro has long been associated with Ernest Hemingway on account of his 1936 short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”.

In 1952, Hollywood fascinated by the magic of Kili the book evokes, turned it into a movie with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner in leading roles.

Kilimanjaro is young as far as mountains go, and geologists allow it only 750,000 years. The mountain is made up of three dormant volcanoes -Kibo (19,340 feet), Shira (13,000 feet) and Mawenzi (16,896 feet). Kibo occasionally belches some steam and sulfur.

The highest point on Kibo is Uhuru Peak, where you see some awesome glaciers and fantastic views of the country below. Though Kili is only three degrees south of the equator, the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi are covered in ice and snow year round.

Many learned people in Europe hotly disputed that a snow-capped

mountain could be found at the equator when the German missionary Johann Rebmann reported it in 1849.

Going up the mountain, you move from tropical to artic conditions. There are five distinct climatic zones, with each zone taking approximately 3,300 feet.

The zones are- the lower slopes, then forest, then moorland, alpine desert and the summit. The lower slopes are cultivated and agriculture flourishes. The forest region is dry in the north and wet towards the southern slopes. The forest carries many tree species including podocarpus, camphor, fig and olive trees and bamboo.

The only animals to be found here are blue and Colobus monkeys and a variety of birds including hornbill and turaco. At the moorland region, you find the giant groundsels and lobelias common in the high altitude mountain regions of eastern Africa. Further up, vegetation and animal life are sparse.

Kili is the worlds’ most accessible summit. Any reasonably strong and ambitious person, without using any special mountaineering equipment can conquer this giant. It is however hard work. Altitude and the resulting thin air will be the main challenge and not your failing strength. To avoid succumbing to high altitude sickness, you guides will constantly advise, you take the mountain slowly, slowly or “pole pole” as they say in Swahili.

You should therefore avoid a quick ascent and take time to acclimatise to the mountains’ oxygen challenged air. By ignoring such good advice many young males fail to reach the summit, when older more deliberate climbers make it.

To enjoy the natural beauty and majesty of Kili, you do not even have to climb it. By using a four-wheel drive vehicle, you can ascend to the Shira Plateau, which is perched at 12,000 feet. The first person recorded to have reached the summit is the German climber Hans Meyer in 1889. Unlike today’s climber, he did not have the benefit a route map and he only made it on the second attempt.

Having been taught a lesson in humility, for the second try, he brought along an Alpine expert and a local guide. Meyer named the summit after the Kaiser Wilhelm II, but this was years later revised to Uhuru or freedom in Swahili.

Since the days of Meyer, the icecap has receded and scientists worry that it will vanish altogether in 20 to 50 years. So, hurry up and climb Kili while it is still such a pretty sight.

Today, few climbers few use the difficult route pioneered by Meyer. The climb normally takes five to six days and involves four to five overnight stays in comfortable mountain huts.

The Marangu route, which was established way back in 1909 is the easiest and most popular and is used by over 90% of climbers. Experienced climbers prefer the more scenic and difficult Machame route.

Climbers are not entirely without a sense of humour and they refer to Marangu as the coca cola route, and Machame as the whiskey route. Other routes are Shira, Mweka and Umbwe.

Shira is a scenic route that takes you through the Shira Plateau,which you reach by four-wheel drive vehicle. The route gives you great views of the Rift valley and Mount Meru. Using Mweka, you reach the summit and return to base in 4 days. But as you may suspect, it is quite steep and therefore not easy at all.

The Umbwe route is even steeper and quicker and you take only three days up and down. The route is spectacular, but it is for the fit and experienced and not casual climbers. In addition, there are technical routes such as the Western Breach and Lemosho routes.

Regardless of the route you pick, all Kili climbs start at Marangu Gate. This is where you get your permit and pay entry fees. On the typical Marangu route climb, spend four nights up the mountain. The route is clearly marked right to the summit. You start by trekking through the forest zone to Mandara Hut (9,000 ft) for the first night. Onward through moorland, you halt for a second night at Horombo Hut (12,450 ft).

Then through the alpine desert, your third night finds you at Kibo Hut (15,450 ft). But you really do not sleep there as you go for the summit just after midnight.

You then descend back to Horombo Hut for your last night after an overall trek of about 77 kilometres. If you want to spend more time up high to acclimatise, you can overnight twice at Horombo Hut.

On the Machame route, you spend one night more on the mountain.You overnight at Machame Hut, Shira Hut and Barranco Hut. You connect to the Mweka route and continue to Barafu Hut.

After tackling the summit, you descend for your last night at Mweka Hut. On the next day, you rejoin other mortals at the base of the mountain. You are advised to pick the route that best fits your experience.

Most aspire to reach Uhuru Peak – the highest point on Kibo -and indeed all Kili. Others are satisfied with Gillman’s Point, the slightly lower peak on Kibo. But Mawenzi, actually lower than the Kibo peaks, is more jagged and requires mountaineering experience. Many climbers find scaling Kili, whatever height they reach, a very satisfying experience.

But do not be too disappointed if you do not reach the summit.Different estimates indicate that only 15-30% of climbers get to the top. Climbing Kilimanjaro is for those who are physically fit and mentally prepared.

It is your ability to muster that extra dose of determination that will count when the going gets tough. In terms of physical preparation, start by taking hikes uphill with a pack strapped on your back. This rehearses the climb, minus the altitude of course.

Think also of putting in some aerobic training at the gym and by jogging. If you are having heart or lung problems, better not risk the climb. In all cases, it is a good idea to talk to your personal physician to ensure that you do not bite more than you can chew.

It is best you buy a climbing tour package to take advantage of those with local knowledge. The typical package will bundle together: return transfers – Moshi or Arusha to Marangu Gate, park and rescue fees, services of guides, porters and cooks, accommodation in mountain huts and all meals on the mountain.

In addition, you need to hire locally or bring along equipment and sleeping bags. Some useful stuff to gather include – waterproof hiking boots, rain suit, flashlights, sunglasses, prophylactics for high-altitude sickness, hand gloves and night shoes.

You need a daypack to carry a few essentials, as the porters carrying your equipment will usually hike their own way. Some items to carry on your back include bottled water, extra clothes, camera and sunscreen. Besure to review and book our very good value Kilimanjaro Climbing offers.

You can climb Kili, any time throughout the year. But it is obviously less fun during the March to June period when it rains the most. The second and lighter rains come from late October to early December. The best time is when it is warm and dry – January, February and September.

July, August, November and December also good, though cooler. Due to the variation of conditions along the route- from tropic to arctic – it is convenient to dress in layers you can either shed or add on. Generally, in the northern Tanzania region, you can expect temperatures to average from 15°C in May to August and 22°C over December to March.

At the mountain, temperatures drop by roughly 1 degree Celsius for every 650 feet ascended.

Many climbing enthusiasts want Christmas and the New Year to find them up the mountain, and unless you book early, it is difficult to get a slot.

The best way of relaxing after the trek is by taking a safari in the unrivalled wildlife sanctuaries of northern Tanzania or heading to the beaches of Zanzibar. We have covered these attractions in earlier editions of this newsletter here.

You can book your safari or Zanzibar stay and Kili climb together – have a look at our Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Hotel offers. If you want to put together your own safari, then visit the Tanzania Car Rental and Tanzania Hotels and Lodges pages of our website.

Kilimanjaro is 475 km to the northwest of Dar es Salaam. The base for climbing Kili is nearby northern Tanzania towns of Moshi or Arusha. Kilimanjaro International Airport services the region. But it is usually cheaper to disembark at Nairobi in Kenya and then to take a shuttle bus to Arusha. http://www.gotomountkenya.com

Hull is usually discovered on the North East coast of England, UK. The town is primary identified for the port with passenger and vehicle ferries leaving each day from Hull to Europe. The city might be reached by driving your rented auto along the M62 motorway from the M1 or by driving your Hull car or truck hire along the nearby M6. 

You will discover close to 10 major busy tourist attractions which most visitors can look at whilst on a trip to Hull. 

1. Maritime Museum
2. The Deep
3. Street lifetime Museum
4. Artic Corsair
5. Spurn Lighthouse
6. The Humber Bridge
7. The Hands on Museum
8. Wilberforce Household Museum
9. Hull and East Riding Museum
10.Maister House
Maritime Museum is located within a lovely ornate red sand stone building formally utilised as a grammar school and was reported to be built around 1347. Close towards the Hull’s docks, the museum has plenty of fascinating displays and exhibitions concerning the trawling historical past of the region which include fishing and whales.

The Deep is a ship styled maritime museum with plenty of record about sea everyday living and marine life and can be discovered inside the dockland place on the Hull. The museum is hands on and includes a exhibtion  at sea existence from ten feet below the surface via a lift. They even include an exhibition with the Big Bang Theory.

Street Life Museum is often a transport museum which could be inside the High St and is easy accessible by rental car along the A63 heading towards the docks. Visitors can look at modes of transport from close to the last two centuries which include transport utilised throughout the war.

Artic Corsair might be found moored around the River Hull close to the museum section. The Artic Corsair is usually a real fishing boat which fisherman right up  until recently utilized to trawl for fish in the Iceland waters. The story of the boat and her crew are retold within the trawler by guides.

Spurn Lighthouse is a boat which was constructed in 1927 and operated till around 1977 as a lighthouse for any sailor who wished to have a shot at and sail through the perilous River Humber. It is possible to now go on board this renowned boat and ask the staff any questions about the lighthouses background. The boat is now moored in the maritime tourist quarter on the docks.

The Humber Bridge is really a magnificent piece of engineering which took around eight many years of hard work to complete back in 1981. The suspended bridge was the final alternative like a safe mode of serving the transport technique.

The Hands on Museum is situated in South Church Street in Hull. You’ll find lots of hands ons knowledge for everyone to have a attempt. The museum tells the story with the social aspect of living in and all around the town. The textiles and costumes are on screen.

William Wilberforce was a Hull MP who campaigned for the end of slavery. These days there is certainly a museum dedicated to his memory and might be observed from the Higher Street with the metropolis. You’ll find some exhibits on display which shows the living historical past from the time.

Hull and East Riding Museum functions a boat which is said to be around 3000 many years old. The museum tells the story with the geography plus the fascinating archaeology on the spot and of a by gone age and era.

Maister House can be a lovely Georgian home originally applied by a merchant who lived in Hull. The variety of attributes you possibly can look at these days are the staircase and ironwork.

Our top travel secret isn’t really a secret at all, but it takes a while for some of us to learn and apply it. Here it is: Slow down. Slowing down and spending more time in each location is not only a secret of cheap travel, but in our experience, it means more fun.

Slowing Down For Cheap Travel

We returned yesterday (August 13, 2007) from a ten-day road trip, and I can report that going slower saved us money, as it usually does. This isn’t just about driving less, though when we started driving 200 miles in a day instead of 600 we certainly saved on gas. However, we also found that with time on our hands, we could do a better job shopping for a place to stay or to eat.

Make the big mile days the ones that pass through the boring stretches. Then when you come to an interesting place, find nice, affordable lodging and stick around a while. Once, while driving around the country camping in our van, we discovered hot springs in a wild part of Arizona, with picnic tables and bathrooms and desert hills to explore – everything we needed at the time. It cost just $3 per night, so it was easy to stay a while.

In fact, we stayed for eight days, enjoying the hot pools even during an unusual snowy day in the desert. We took daily hikes and hunted for antiquities and rocks in the surrounding hills, but more on that in a moment. Just once, we drove into the nearest town for groceries and water, so the entire eight days might have cost us $80 or so. That’s cheap travel.

Five years back we stumbled into a great mountain town where we wanted to stay a while. We were in town early, instead of our usual driving until evening and scrambling to find a hotel, so we had time to check things out without rushing. We asked around and heard about a hotel above a pub. The rest of the hotel rooms in town were generally $60 per night and up, but we got a room above the pub for $120 – for an entire week. It had a stove and refrigerator, so we could cook our own meals if we wanted to save more.

Slowing Down Means Better Travel Experiences

More important than the fact that slowing down means cheap travel is the fact that when you go slower you discover things you would have missed. While at the hot springs mentioned above, for example, we befriended a Mayan Indian who brought us to an old Pony Express station in the desert hills. It still had parts of the old walls remaining.

He showed us areas where we could find old arrowheads, and we found some. Out in the middle of the desert, he showed us perfectly round holes that had been drilled into the rocks hundreds of years earlier. They were used for water storage. In our van, we followed him to an area where ancient pottery littered the desert, and where gemstones could be found as well.

We wouldn’t have found these things on our own. The experiences were also only possible because we didn’t rush from one park to another, trying to fit as many “sights” into a trip as possible. It may not be a secret that a slow trip can be more interesting, but not many people seem to want to try this more relaxing, slower pace.

Where we stayed a week for $120 in that mountain town, we discovered area waterfalls and secret mountain lakes that only the locals knew about. The town was our base as we made trips into the surrounding area. Talking to people in local bars lead us to a well-preserved ghost town that wasn’t on our map. Its streets were still full of buildings and foundations, but no tourists – one other car pulled in while we were there.

Our travel secret number one: slow down to save money and enjoy the trip more.

The satisfaction derived from purchasing cheap airplane tickets, finding discount hotel rooms, or securing cheap vacation packages, is quickly diminished if your airline loses your luggage.  Getting reimbursed for lost luggage can prove tricky.

The first thing a passenger needs to do once he discovers that his bag is lost is to go to the baggage claim office at the airport he flew in and report the missing bag.

The good news is that airlines are required to reimburse travelers for clothing and toiletries as a result of lost or delayed bags, according to DOT (Department of Transportation).  The bad news is that reimbursement details are left up to each individual airline.

Some carriers initially deny compensation to customer for purchases made within the first 24 hours followed a reported loss, and/or deny claims for inbound flights on the grounds that passengers have other clothes they can wear already at home. Both positions, according to DOT, are violations of its regulations.  DOT’s position is that fliers purchasing necessities after they file a missing bag claim should be reimbursed vs. having to wait to see if their bag is returned.

Almost 2.2 million pieces of luggage were reported mishandled by airlines in the U.S. last year.  Airlines maximum liability for lost luggage is $3,300 for domestic flights.  The maximum for international flights is only $640.  Airlines are not required to refund checked baggage fees for lost luggage.

Although airlines are required to reimburse for clothing, the amount is negotiable.   Airlines typically make filing a claim as difficult as possible, asking you to prove (via such things as receipts) the value of your lost clothing.  The DOT does not get involved in monitoring or recommending airline reimbursement rates.

Airline customer confusion and frustration in getting claims paid often ultimately benefits the airline.  Customer claims that are not followed up on by the customer often go unreimbursed.  Airlines retain the right to approve or reject any claim.

Persistence is sometimes needed to get a fair resolution for a claim of lost bags.  The DOT recommends that passengers who claims are denied should file a claim with the Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement Office.

www.cheapfares.com

Travel and Tourism in Oman

Travel And Tourism in Oman report offers a comprehensive guide to the market at a national level. It looks at travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, tourist attractions and retail travel. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market, including background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking habits.
Why buy this report
* Get insight into trends in market performance
* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change
* Identify market and brand leaders and understand the competitive environment
Product coverage
Car rental; Demand factors; Health and wellness tourism; Tourism flows domestic; Tourism flows inbound; Tourism flows outbound; Tourism receipts and expenditure; Tourist attractions; Transportation; Travel accommodation; Travel retail
Executive summary
Oman’s travel and tourism industry: halfway through achieving Vision 2020
Oman’s travel and tourism industry is now halfway towards achieving its Vision 2020. The latter revolves around five areas of focus establishing Oman as a regional travel and tourism hub, increasing the contribution of the market to GDP to not less than 3%, increasing the participation of the private sector and activating its role in the development of various tourism activities, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), and increasing the Omanisation (the replacement of expatriate workers with local ones) percentage of the market to 80%. The healthy growth of travel and tourism in 2008 along with the investment initiatives underway and the growing worldwide awareness of Oman’s tourism potential are just some of the indicators that the sultanate is on track with its Vision 2020.
The crisis takes its toll on Oman
As the global financial crisis struck in the second half of 2008, Oman was not immune. On the macroeconomic level, the government has released its approved 2009 budget highlighting a deficit of OR0.8 billion or around US$2.1 billion. In addition, Oman’s economic growth is expected to decline to three percent in 2009 as the crisis weighs. The travel and tourism industry posted lower growth in 2008; however, this decline does not fully capture the full effect on Oman, given the fact that Oman’s high season of arrivals – Muscat Festival and Khareef Salalah Festival – ended before the financial crisis took its toll on arrivals.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit :
http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=60910&rt=Travel-and-Tourism-in-Oman.html

Related Reports :
Travel and Tourism – Austria
http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=143155&rt=Travel-and-Tourism-Austria.html

Travel and Tourism – Spain
http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=143160&rt=Travel-and-Tourism-Spain.html

Or

Contact us at :
Bharat Book Bureau
Tel: +91 22 27578668
Fax: +91 22 27579131
Email: info@bharatbook.com
Website: www.bharatbook.com
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/3bbharatbook

Companies are working to broaden their scope, to offer additional insurance options to their customers, to keep pace with the growth of the travel industry. The latest occurrences of terrorism, environmental diseases, and diseases in general has caused the need to offer travelers additional safeguards. Travelers can purchase financial protection insurance for both domestic and overseas trips.
More recently, companies have even begun granting travel insurance on a 24 hour basis and providing protection for the duration of even short trips and tours. Medical costs, hospitalization, dismemberment and death as a result of an accident are offered with the domestic coverage. The same coverage and more is available for overseas trips.
Currently, the industry offers a variety of insurance options, allowing travelers to select which best suits them. In the event of an accidental death due to an injury, Common Carrier “Air only” implements coverage. In this instance, as an insured voyager flying on a commercial flight, you would be covered.
It is helpful to carry accidental death and dismemberment coverage in the event that accidental death results from an injury. If this is the case, the beneficiary listed on the policy will be compensated. The coverage agreement specifies what is included with the subsidy purchased.
Accidental Medical Expenses – All travelers should consider purchasing Accidental Medical Expenses to protect themselves against the accumulation of debt due to requiring intensive medical care. With Accidental Medical Expenses insurance, you would be reimbursed for the reasonable expenses of medical treatment by a doctor. Still, you need to examine your benefits options to make the treatment costs will be covered completely.
Emergency Medical Evacuation might require your insurance to pay the expenses up to the limit specified in the insurance agreement. Emergency Medical Evacuation coverage only pays out if evacuation is deemed necessary The necessity of this shall be determined by a licenses physician depending on type and degree of injury.
The insurer will need to pay the reasonable covered cost of returning the insured’s body to the place where travel originated, when Repatriation of Remains coverage is purchased. However, your death must be during the travel insured and must be the end result of an injury. Cremation, embalming, coffins and transportation are some of the covered expenses in this policy.
Travelers have their luggage lost or stolen on a regular basis so Baggage and Personal Effects insurance is a must. This insurance only covers the property if it is registered with and under the supervision and power of a commercial airline commissioned by the government authority to transport fee paying ticketed passengers. Such losses must be immediately reported to the correct authorities, as well as the insurance carrier.
Even if your luggage is only delayed, a timely claim will reimburse you up to the amount outlined by the schedule of benefits for the purchase of emergency supplies. Included items such as clothing and toiletries qualify. The insurer will make sure your baggage was checked-in and was in the custody of whatever commercial airline’s flight you were traveling on.
You may also be compensated for any commercial flight you were booked to fly on when it’s delayed for more than twelve hours, based on the insurance plan you chose to buy. This type of insurance gives financial protection as well as peace of mind, for the traveler, and their respective beneficiaries. The price that you will pay, will be well worth the cost when you consider the benefits received by this kind of insurance.
In accordance with insurance companies adapting their policies to provide customers with better coverage, the emergence of e-tickets is also transforming the travel industry. This idea has eliminated the need to hold a physical paper ticket, as well as the passenger charges that are connected with prepaid tickets. Having your tickets lost, misplaced, forgotten or stolen can be one of the worst things that can happen to a traveler. Since you typically print the e-ticket right before you get on the plane, it is difficult to lose.

In anticipation of an upcoming trip to Auckland, New Zealand (NZ) I was on the search for accommodation. With so many options to choose from – bed & breakfast, motels, lodges, serviced apartments and hotels (to name a few) – I eventually decided to choose Auckland hotel accommodation. Now my issue went from: What kind of accommodation do I want to stay in? to: Which provider do I choose?

It’s fair to say that had I booked my trip through a travel agent they may well have been able to suggest the right provider for me, but in this day and age of online travel bookings, I had no need to talk to a travel agent. So keeping in line with my online flight bookings, I decided to book my accommodation online too. First though I decided to find out what other people were saying about Auckland hotels, to see if anyone had some good suggestions for me.

I’ve heard all this talk about user reviews becoming more and more popular in today’s online environment, and I can now see why. It’s much like talking to your family or friends and asking if they can recommend somewhere to stay, but in this event you have access to a wider range of opinions. The other advantage is that the feedback which is posted on the site is no longer filtered by the providers so that you only read good reviews, instead they are a much more transparent and honest assessment of the hotel.

There are many online travel review sites available, but I must say that it’s important to find one which isn’t just a general site allowing people to sign up and post comments unanimously, as these are open to unverified reports and even overly positive and sometimes fraudulent comments from accommodation providers themselves. So my first step was finding a trusted Auckland hotel review site/s.

This came in the form of an online booking site. The comments on these types of sites can only be posted by people who have actually booked and stayed at that particular Auckland hotel. This results in me being able to read honest reviews from actual guests. Not only that but it was easier to read the reviews on the same website I could end up booking on, than having to read one site and then find another for the actual Auckland hotel I chose.

Most of the reviews I came across, had a 1 to 5 star rating system where :
1 = poor
2 = below average
3 = value for money
4 = great value for money
5 = excellent experience

This method of rating means I could easily gain a general idea of the value without having to read every review over the past twelve months. From there, further investigation of the hotel was required, which involved reading each of the reviews that caught my attention. At this point it was very important for me to remember that one or two bad reviews did not necessarily reflect poor service on the part of the hotel. People do have bad days, and unfortunately hotels do to. But if dripping taps, poor showers, noisy rooms or bad service is mentioned in a number of the reviews, I considered it safe to assume that the majority of guests are right.

In the end, the one trend that showed up in the majority of bad reviews, is that at times people were expecting more from the hotel than it provided. Such complaints as “the restaurant was closed at 11pm”, “no room service” or “I had to carry my own luggage”, all show on investigation that these services were not offered by the Auckland hotel in the first place. There is still the perception that a hotel has 24 hour front desks and bar, pools, gymnasiums and spa. Where as today’s demands have removed the non essential offerings and services in order to provide a better price to the consumer.

So after reading numerous reviews and now feeling more informed than when I started, I managed to locate an Auckland hotel which meet my needs, not only in terms of service, but in terms of location, price and facilities. Ultimately the reviews were one component of my decision and needed to be viewed alongside my own personal criteria, in order to make my final decision.

More than half (51%) of us are planning a vacation this summer. Even more if we’re among the affluent and young professionals. According to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker,  we plan to spend an average of $1,000 per person on summer travel.

Parents, are planning  to arrange summer activities for their children and plan to spend an average of $600 per child. This month’s American Express Spending & Saving Tracker  sample of 2,000 adults included the general U.S. population, and two subgroups — the affluent and young professionals.

“The summer vacation, and particularly, the family vacation is alive and well this year,” said Audrey Hendley, vice president of American Express Travel.

Vacations with Family and Friends

Family trips will be most popular (52%), a variety of other vacation types are being planned, including:

Couples trips (26%)

Trips with friends such as “girlfriend getaways” and “mancations” (10%)

A “staycation”–intending to enjoy time off and attractions near home (11%)

Experiential or adventure vacations such as a culinary retreat or hiking trip (7%)

Educational vacations (4%)

Of those taking a summer vacation, most  will stay within the U.S., with destinations in the South (31%) and Northeast (29%) being the most popular vacation destinations. A smaller percentage of consumers (16%) plan to travel outside of the U.S., primarily to the Caribbean (6%), Canada (5%), and Europe (4%). Affluents (19%) are more likely to venture outside of the U.S. and young professionals (29%) are twice as likely as the general population to do so.

People without summer vacation plans this year cited several factors. Among those people:

44 percent said they had not saved for a vacation

23 percent reported they plan to spend the money on something else like home improvements or local activities. Included in these,

18 percent plan to spend on family necessities.

8 percent said they don’t have the time to either plan or take a vacation this year

Read More >>>;

Image via Wikipedia