Archive for May, 2011
May 30th, 2011 | 
Author: Eating and drinking in grand style can stretch your travel budget in the wrong way. You want to make your money go further. There are lots of little ways you can save on food when you’re traveling.
If your hotel doesn’t include breakfast in the price of the room, check to see what your options are in the hotel. You will probably save money venturing out to a corner cafe rather than paying the price for the hotel breakfast buffet. In Paris, join the local crowd and have coffee, juice and a croissant.
Have churros con chocolate in Madrid. There are lots of small breakfast places in the U.S. where you can get a great bacon, eggs and coffee breakfast for only a few bucks.
A great way to stretch your travel budget is to enjoy a picnic for lunch or dinner. You can pick up cheeses and meats and breads at local grocery stores and specialty shops. Grab a bottle of local wine. Eat in your room or in a local park with a great view.
Avoid touristy restaurants. If you see a restaurant on the main street that has menus in several languages, it’s going to cost you more. Find a mom and pop place down a side street or go with a recommendation from a local…. like your friendly B-and-B host. Look for “prix fixe” menus or daily specials for great meals at good prices.
One of our most memorable meals was a little restaurant our host sent us to in Assisi. We had trouble finding it… there was no sign. There were only three or four tables. The owner was the cook, his wife was the waitress. Neither spoke English, and she had to get a dictionary to help us order… but the food was terrific, and the bill was surprisingly small.
Find the open air markets in town and eat there. Cafeterias in department stores can also be a good place to find food cheap.
Eat foods that are in season. That’s what the locals do. Today’s fresh specials will cost you less and be healthier. Another way to save like the locals do is to eat and drink what is special in that country. Drink beer in Brussels and Prague, save the wine for Paris.
Remember that in many countries in the world, the tip is included. In those counties, if you leave anything, you should only leave small change. If you’re tipping 15-20% like Americans do at home, you’re tipping way too much and adding that to the price of your trip.
Don’t feel pressed to order too much for dinner. For example, just having a “primi” (pasta dish), but no “secondi” (main dish) in Italy, may be plenty for you to eat… just add a salad, and you’ll save money over a three course meal. Ask for tap water instead of bottled water in counties where the water is safe.
If you just try a few of our tips, you can eat well and still stretch your travel budget to go farther.
If your hotel doesn’t include breakfast in the price of the room, check to see what your options are in the hotel. You will probably save money venturing out to a corner cafe rather than paying the price for the hotel breakfast buffet. In Paris, join the local crowd and have coffee, juice and a croissant.
Have churros con chocolate in Madrid. There are lots of small breakfast places in the U.S. where you can get a great bacon, eggs and coffee breakfast for only a few bucks.
A great way to stretch your travel budget is to enjoy a picnic for lunch or dinner. You can pick up cheeses and meats and breads at local grocery stores and specialty shops. Grab a bottle of local wine. Eat in your room or in a local park with a great view.
Avoid touristy restaurants. If you see a restaurant on the main street that has menus in several languages, it’s going to cost you more. Find a mom and pop place down a side street or go with a recommendation from a local…. like your friendly B-and-B host. Look for “prix fixe” menus or daily specials for great meals at good prices.
One of our most memorable meals was a little restaurant our host sent us to in Assisi. We had trouble finding it… there was no sign. There were only three or four tables. The owner was the cook, his wife was the waitress. Neither spoke English, and she had to get a dictionary to help us order… but the food was terrific, and the bill was surprisingly small.
Find the open air markets in town and eat there. Cafeterias in department stores can also be a good place to find food cheap.
Eat foods that are in season. That’s what the locals do. Today’s fresh specials will cost you less and be healthier. Another way to save like the locals do is to eat and drink what is special in that country. Drink beer in Brussels and Prague, save the wine for Paris.
Remember that in many countries in the world, the tip is included. In those counties, if you leave anything, you should only leave small change. If you’re tipping 15-20% like Americans do at home, you’re tipping way too much and adding that to the price of your trip.
Don’t feel pressed to order too much for dinner. For example, just having a “primi” (pasta dish), but no “secondi” (main dish) in Italy, may be plenty for you to eat… just add a salad, and you’ll save money over a three course meal. Ask for tap water instead of bottled water in counties where the water is safe.
If you just try a few of our tips, you can eat well and still stretch your travel budget to go farther.
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Are you planning for a camp and want to spend time in the outdoors? Then camping tent is the most important item that you need to carry with you. Here the most important thing is choosing the right type of tent and its color, quality and the size.
You can find the camping tents which are really useful for sub zero temperatures whereas some others are excellent for tropical forest atmospheric conditions. It is better to select camping tents based on the climate that you will be camping in.
Here are the things that you need to consider while buying camping tent:
In order to select the right type of tent, the first thing you need to do is decide the dimensions of the camping tent that you need. Mainly tents are prepared to protect you and your family.
In the market you will find the tents with labels telling their capacity, or for how many campers it is made. There is no need to choose various tents with different capacities. So, think carefully and decide cleverly on the biggest number of campers that you predict camping together with you.
Basically every camping tent consists of four components. They include: tent body, the poles, the trap and the rain fly. The trap is basically a material that you set on the ground which helps to keep your tent floor last longer.
Tips to choose camping tents based on your needs:
Just think what you require. Before going to purchase, consider the below factors:
• Your camping place or spot
• The season
• Whether you will be backpacking or not
Also consider if you have any other requirements and then decide the type of camping tent that you need.
Decide your budget and how much you are going to spend on the camping tent. Once you have decided your budget you will not spend much on it.
• Decide on the size and weight of the tent. If you prefer car camping, the size of the tent doesn’t matter.
• If there are many campers to sleep in the tent it is better to pick a large camping tent.
• If you want to go on backpacking then it is suggested to invest in a lightweight camping tent.
Search for the available aspects of the tent. It is suggested to select a durable fabric tent. Test how the tent shade spreads the light within the tent. Some colors make the interior of the camping tents brighter, whereas some colors make it dim and gloomy.
If you are planning for a summer camp, it is better to choose light color tents. For cold seasons, pick dark colored camping tents, as they absorb the heat from the sun and keep the interior of the tent warm.
Also, check the coating of the tent. Look for a water proof and shiny coating inside the tent. If you don’t observe these features then the tent might not be durable enough for heavy usage.
The most popular tent makers include: Great land, Coleman, Eddie Bauer, and Wenger. Select the manufacturer whom you trust most. With the wrong type of tent you can’t enjoy the camping experience to the fullest. It leaves it as an unpleasant one.
So, think carefully and choose wisely while you are purchasing the camping tents. Just remember that the tent you have chosen will be the home away from your home for fewer days. Visit Camping Tourist
Life is full of unexpected events- this is the basic principle which drives the insurance industry. One doesn’t really know what will happen next year, next month even tomorrow. Life is especially more riskier for people who frequently travel, and a travel insurance can really be a good thing to have. It will at least leave something for oneself, ones family and loved ones in the case of unfortunate events during traveling.
One might be skeptical in getting travel insurance simply because he thinks that it is a waste of money which can be used for something more urgent or important. However, we can never really say what will happen and it is good to be insured. In the events such as accidents, trip cancellations and lost luggage, insurance policies can really be handy. Getting vacation insurance is the first step that should be taken when planning a trip.
Types of Travel Insurance Policies
Travel insurance is availed by people who are concerned about the events that may unfold during a trip. Its not a sign of paranoia, its a mere sign that one faces the reality that he doesn’t control his life and the events that may happen.
Package
Travel insurance packages are usually designed to cover single trips. This type of insurance policy is very ideal for tours, cruises, air trips, renting vacation homes, whether they are for business or personal traveling in foreign or domestic areas.
These travel packages are usually pre bundled by the insurance companies and they provide travel coverage such as cancellation of trips, interruption of flights, delays of travel, lost of baggage and personal effects, delay of baggage, emergency evacuation, assistance for travelers and medical expenses. One can also avail optional policies which will cover accidental deaths.
These packages are usually rated against three factors ones age during application, the cost of one’s trip and the duration of the trip.
Medical
Travel insurance plans can also be designed to cover ones medical expenses if needed during the trip. There are also group health insurance plans which can be availed by a group. However, most of the insurance plans available today will only cover medical expenses in trips which are done inside the ‘coverage areas.’ It’s best to be able to ask the insurance provider regarding these things before availing a medical travel insurance policy.
Accidental death during flight
Many insurance providers give accidental flight death insurance as a part of their insurance policies. Sometimes, they give it as an option.
Listed below are some tips on how one can go about availing quality and suitable travel policies for his trips.
1. Before getting a new travel insurance policy, one should double check his existing insurance policies. There might be some coverage with regards to traveling in the existing policies that one possess and it would be a waste of money to pay for something that has already been covered.
2. Know what is the best type of insurance is best for the trip. Getting a travel insurance is really dependent on the situation of the destination and the other factors that come into play such as one’s age and health conditions.
3. Know the policy. One should know whether things like international coverage, emergency evacuation, accidental death, remains repatriation and family travel insurance are covered by the policy..
These are some tips on how to avail travel insurance. The point is life is unpredictable and it’s better to have insurance especially for travel purposes. Insurance is a real must when traveling.