travelling
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.
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.
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.