Travel Advice
Taking a Holiday with Your Pets
Going on a holiday is fun, but it can be even more fun if you take your pet along with you. Taking your dog or cat along for the trip does make it more like a family outing, but it does bring up a few extra concerns.
First, you’ll have to make certain the hotel you have booked is pet-friendly. Some hotels allow pets with no extra charge, but many will require you to pay a small deposit fee. You’ll also need to take everything your pet will need—water bowl, food and food bowl, litter box, and leash.
Flying with your pet is very difficult. Your animal has to be placed in a carrier that meets regulations and then will be placed with the checked luggage. Many end up sedating their pet during travel, which can be hard on him. Likewise, trains and buses rarely take on trains. If you’re travelling internationally, you most likely will not be able to take your pet with you—there are usually quarantine periods that animals must go through before they can enter the country, and these periods are usually fairly long (months at the least).
Once you do arrive on your luxury holidays and check in to your pet-friendly hotel, you’re going to want to spend some time with your pet each day. There’s not much point in taking your pet with you if all you do it leave him or her in your hotel room, after all. You may want to look into things you can do with your pet, such as walk through the neighbourhood or go to a local park. Think of things you and your pet can do together so as to make your holiday exciting for both of you.
Research Before You Go
Travelling to a new destination can be an adventure, but you don’t want to head off into the unknown without, well, knowing a bit about it. If you’re planning a holiday somewhere you’ve never been to before, it’s a good idea to do a little research first. This research doesn’t have to be extensive. You’re not writing a term paper on the destination, just wanting to get a good idea of what there is to do there. The internet can be a good place to start. The larger cities and tourist destinations will have hundreds if not thousands of web pages about them. There are pros and cons to this. Since it’s online, anyone can publish anything they want about the destination. You don’t always know if you’re getting the truth. However, you may be able to find comments and reviews from travellers that may be very helpful to you. You can also head down to your local library or book store and look for books on your travel destination. This is especially helpful if you’re headed to a large city. These travel guides are often more of an authoritative source than the internet, but the internet is likely to have more information on smaller, out of the way destinations. Travel shows can also be a good source of information, although again, you may have to search for the episode that features your destination. Some of these shows discuss popular tourist attractions, while others are focused on travelling on a budget. One of the best ways to learn all there is to learn about a location before you visit is to combine all three forms of research. Doing this should help you make a list of things you absolutely must see and do on your holiday while at the same time giving you an idea of things you don’t really care to see. By doing a little research, you can put together an agenda for your holiday that will allow you to see and do as much as you can instead of wandering around looking for potential attractions.
Hiring a House Sitter
If you’re going to be out of town for more than a week, you may want to look into hiring a house sitter. He or she will stay at your house while you’re away making it look like you are still at home to dissuade thieves. A house sitter can also take care of your pets and water your plants, although you may have to pay extra for these services. If you’re thinking of hiring a house sitter, here are some things to keep in mind.
Make certain the person you hire is someone you trust. Often, your house sitter is a relative or a friend. You probably won’t be comfortable paying a complete stranger to stay in your home for a week or more, although professional house sitting services are available in some areas. If you do decide to hire someone you don’t know, be certain to ask for references and check up on him or her before you leave just to be safe. Be sure to get his/her full name, address, and contact information as well.
Once you have a house sitter, you’ll want to make out a detailed list of what he or she needs to do while you’re away. It may be easier to break it down day by day so your house sitter knows exactly what must be done. Chores you may need to list out include feeding your pets, taking out the rubbish, taking care of your plants, and getting your mail.
Don’t forget that your house sitter may not be at your home all the time. You may want to ask him or her to be at your house at a certain time each evening. The entire point of having a house sitter, after all, is to make it look like someone is home. If your house sitter is out all night, you won’t be getting that benefit.
Buying Breakables
When on holiday or even on a business trip, you’re going to want to purchase some souvenirs or gifts. However, travelling brings up one issue: how to get those purchases home. If you’ve bought several breakable items, you’re going to have to be very careful. Here are some tips for dealing with breakables.
First, if you’re going to purchase something fragile, try to go for something small. It’s going to be challenging enough getting it home without breaking it. Getting a large item home without breaking it is truly a headache, especially if it won’t fit in your luggage and you have to have it specially shipped.
Second, try to pack your fragile items in your carry-on bag so you can have more control over how the item is transported. Checked luggage on airplanes, buses, and trains are often thrown about with little regard to their content. This can cause damage to fragile items packed inside, even if those items are well protected.
Third, wrap your fragile items in something to help protect them. Clothing is a good choice if you don’t have any other packing materials. Do your best to cushion the items, and try to place the breakable item between several solid items like books or boxes to give it stability. If the item didn’t come in a box, try finding a box to put it in to add more protection.
Travelling with Children
Travelling with children can add a whole new dimension to your trip. While it can be a lot of fun to travel with your entire family, it does present some unique challenges. You have to keep in mind that many events simply are not kid-friendly, so you may not be able to do everything you’d like to do.
First, you need to check with your airline and your lodging to see how they charge for children. Some businesses give discounts or will actually allow young children to stay for free. This may also impact what kind of hotel room you reserve—you may need to get one with two beds or request that a roll-in bed be included so your kids have some place to sleep.
You’ll also need to plan some events for your children to do. While you may really enjoy concerts, plays, and visiting museums, your kids will probably want to do something a bit more active and interesting to them. You’ll need to include some kid-friendly activities like going to the zoo, going to a kid’s museum, or going to a theme park. You may also want to look for hands-on activities or activities that are in line with your kid’s interests.
Don’t forget that your children are going to want to buy souvenirs from places you visit. You’ll want to add that into your budget, plus you’ll need to keep some bag space free for their new toys.
Road Trip Tips
Road trips can make for very exciting holidays. After all, if you don’t have any set schedule, you can stop along the way to your destination for anything. This makes for a very dynamic trip. However, there are some things you should consider when planning a road trip.
Lodging is very important, especially if you aren’t making set plans. For example, if you don’t know what city you’ll be stopping in for the night, you can’t make any reservations. This can lead to some difficulty finding a hotel room if you’re not in a large city that has multiple hotels. One way some people get around this issue is by staying with friends, but again, you have to actually get to the city your friends live in or find an alternate place to stay.
Petrol is another consideration when taking a road trip. You want to make certain you don’t run out, especially if you’re in an area where towns are few and far between. Cost is another factor here – you want to watch your budget, so sometimes, it’s more cost-effective to top up your tank even if you’re not quite on empty yet.
One of the great things about road trips is that you can often pack a lot of stuff in your car, including food. You can save money on eating by taking along snack food and other non-perishables. If you have a small ice chest, you can even take cold items along with you.
When on a road trip, however, there is one thing you always want to do: keep your car clean. Since you’ll be spending a lot of time in it, you don’t want it to get full of rubbish. You’re also likely to be buying a lot of souvenirs along the way, so keeping things organised is a good idea. Otherwise, you may find yourself looking at a mountain of bags and such in your back seat.
Getting from the Airport to Your Hotel
One of the most difficult processes in any trip is transportation in your destination city, especially if you aren’t renting a car. Getting from the airport (or the bus or train stop if you’re travelling by land) can be very stressful. You have to get all of your luggage, make it out of the terminal, and then figure out how exactly to get from there to where you’ll be staying. You have a few options, though.
First, you may want to reconsider not renting a car. If you have some free time and want to really explore the city you’re in, you will probably need a car to see it all. However, this can be expensive, so it may not be something that works for you.
Some airports do provide free shuttles from the terminal to specific hotels. If your hotel is one of these, all you have to do is ask any of the airline representatives where to find the shuttle pick up point. Once there, you just wait for the shuttle to come along, pick you up, and drop you off. You can also use this service to return to the terminal to catch your flight home.
If there is no shuttle service, the light rail or subway service may be an option. While not all cities have these forms of public transportation, some do. Those that do feature light rail systems or subways generally have at least one line that runs to the terminal. The only downside here is that you may have to haul your luggage a long way from the nearest station to your hotel.
The city bus often makes stops at the airport, too. Again, you’ll have to haul your bags onto the bus and then off the bus and to your hotel, but it’s fairly inexpensive. To find out about bus options, talk to an airline representative or look for an information kiosk. Most terminals have an area that features information about forms of transportation to and from the terminal.
Finally, the most expensive option is to hire a taxi. This will get you directly from the terminal to your hotel with little or not wait time, but it will cost you, especially if you have to go a good distance. However, in some locations, a taxi may be your only option.
For most airlines, you can search their website for information about shuttles and such. You can also call the airline and ask them about what transportation options are available so you know what to expect when you arrive.
Marking Your Baggage
As you read last week, sometimes you lose your baggage at the airport. While this isn’t the horrible event that some people make it out to be, it’s still not a lot of fun. However, there are a few tricks you can do to make it easier to identify your luggage. This not only makes it easy to tell airport officials what your luggage looks like if it’s lost but it also makes it easy to identify your luggage when you’re picking it up at baggage claim.
The first way of easily finding your luggage amid all the other bags and suitcases on the conveyor belts is to buy luggage that is very distinctive. Brightly coloured bags or bags with unique patterns are generally very easy to spot. The only downside to this is that these bags may not be unique—others may decide that they like the same bright colours or designs. Suddenly, your unique luggage is beside three other suitcases that look just like it.
You can always pay a little bit extra and get monogrammed luggage. These suitcases and bags have your initials or even your name on them. This makes it easier to find them, true, but it can also give others important information about you. It’s never a good idea to let strangers know your full name, especially in this age of identity theft. While most places will require more than just your name, some don’t check ID as closely as they should.
Instead of putting your name or initials on your luggage, then, go for something a little different. One example of this is to buy brightly colored shoelaces and tie them around the handle of your luggage. You can also wrap colored electrical tape on the handle or even take fabric paint and paint a design or stripes on the suitcase itself. This makes it very easy to identify your luggage and, in the event of lost luggage, makes it easier for airline personnel to find it, too.
Dealing with Lost Baggage
It’s every traveller’s nightmare—the airline, bus line, or train loses your baggage. While it doesn’t happen as often as it seems, if you travel a lot, chances are at some point you will have to deal with lost baggage. There are several things you should do after discovering that you made it to your destination but your luggage did not.
First, of course, is to find an airline associate and report your luggage lost. They will do everything they can to find your luggage, but if they can’t locate it right away, they should have some paperwork for you to fill out. You’ll need to be able to describe your bags, which is one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to have some unique identifying mark on your luggage. You will also need to list the contents of your luggage, the city you departed from, and any transfers you made between there and your destination. Also be sure they know how to contact you so you can pick up your luggage once it’s found.
If it’s not possible to get your luggage returned to you right away, don’t panic. Chances are, your baggage will eventually reach you. In the meantime, there are a few things you can do. Most hotels will provide common toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) if you request them and explain your circumstances. If they don’t, the hotel gift shop or a nearby store should have what you need.
If it turns out you won’t get your luggage for a day or two (which does sometimes happen), you may have to purchase some clothing to wear. If you’re on a holiday and aren’t too concerned with your clothing, you can purchase cheap items from any nearby clothing shop. However, if your business clothing or nice outfits are missing, you may be in a bit of a bind. The best advice in this case is to look on the bright side and consider it a chance to purchase a nice, new outfit.
Losing your luggage can be very stressful, but it’s generally not the end of the world. Just stay calm and deal with the situation as best you can.
Jet Lag – How to Prevent It or How To Treat It When Travelling
Anyone who travels long distances knows what a challenge jet lag can be. Here are some tips for preventing and treating it.
1. Several days before your trip, start adjusting your routine an hour a day, depending on which direction your trip will take you. Get up an hour earlier if travelling east, an hour later if travelling west.
2. Reset your watch to the new time zone as you settle in to your airline seat.
3. Try to time your in-flight sleep to match the night-time hours of your destination. You may want to use eye shades or ear plugs.
4. Likewise, do what you can to match the day-time hours of your destination. Work a puzzle, read etc. You may be able to walk or stretch in the aisle.
5. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. They can make you dehydrated.
6. When you arrive, eat protein if you need to stay awake for several hours. Eat carbohydrates if it is time to sleep.
7. If it is daytime, stay in the sunlight if possible to get your biological clock readjusted.
8. If it is daytime but you are really sleepy, take a short nap (no more than one hour). Sleep no later than 3 p.m. (local time) so as to not interfere with your night-time sleep.
9. If you must drive the first day after your flight, use extra caution. If you feel sleepy, pull over and nap. If at all possible, get someone else to drive who is not experiencing jet lag.
8. If it is night, go to bed even if you don’t feel sleepy. Try taking a relaxing bath first or reading a slightly boring book to help you get drowsy.
Jet lag is a normal condition in travelling. It generally passes within a few days so you can enjoy the rest of your trip.