An essential part of being able to enjoy your trip abroad is to plan in advance for potential emergencies. Preparing for possible medical needs regarding medications, air ambulances, insurance issues and more is especially important.

You have your passport, the bags are packed, and the neighbor will water the plants. You’ve packed the sunscreen, arranged for overseas cell service and even picked up universal adapters – all items are checked off on your travel to-do list. You are all set for the perfect overseas vacation, or are you?

Let’s face it, vacation provides the opportunity to temporarily escape from reality. Why ruin the mood with thoughts of doom and gloom?! Planning for emergencies does not have to be a downer. A little preparation will help you to relax knowing that you have it all covered. The quick health tips below will help you to breathe easier as you prepare to travel this summer.

Register with the US Embassy or Consulate.

Registering with the local embassy is a good idea even when traveling to countries that are safe. In the event of an emergency the American consular officers will be able to assist you. You can register online at the embassy travel registration site or upon arrival by visiting the local office.

Additionally the embassy can be a wealth of information for Americans traveling abroad. They can provide information about the political climate, local medical physicians or facilities and much more.

Medical Evacuation.

What happens if you become injured or ill while traveling? You can arrange to be transported back to the US for treatment. Air Ambulance services can transport you to a US facility. You will be safely transported in the company of trained medical professionals. The medical evacuation team can coordinate bed to bed transportation, ensuring that you are safely transported back to the states without compromising your care. Keep the number of an Air Ambulance Service with your medical information for handy access in the event of an emergency.

Prescription Medications

Keep a separate list of all prescription medications, including dosage, pharmacy number and prescribing physician. This will facilitate replacement if your luggage is lost or in case of a medical emergency. Keep all prescription medications in original bottles.

Insurance

Check with your health insurance company to ensure that you understand your coverage while traveling. If you need medical attention will you have to pay out of pocket and seek reimbursement? Do they have contracts with physicians and/or facilities where you will be traveling? Is there a special phone number to call while traveling?

All vacations near and far require advance planning. This becomes more important when you are traveling abroad. With just a few extra steps of preparation you can truly relax and enjoy your trip knowing that you have truly attended to every detail!

Tags: Abroad, Perfect, Preparation, Summer, Travel

The second largest continent in the world is Europe and is considered to be a hub of holiday destinations and a continent with cultural diversities. It was never so reasonable to travel to Europe. It has now become possible and convenient to plan a holiday to Europe with the help of cheap Europe travel tours. This beautiful country has a lot to offer to its history lovers and nature lovers. It leaves the visitors from all across the world spell bound with its magnificent and beautiful destinations. Europe has numerous places of interest inclusive of World Heritage Sites as well as some of the Seven Wonders of the World; it has ample to share with its visitors in terms of history, culture as well as cuisines.

The popular countries of Europe such as Rome, Paris, London, Italy, Denmark, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain and Switzerland are some of popular countries of Europe that enjoy huge visitor rush. You will be able to visit and see some of the world famous places at reasonable rates from Eiffel tower to Colosseum museum in Rome. The wonderful sceneries, intriguing cultures and places of historical importance are common places. While moving from one destination to other it will be a totally unforgettable experience to encounter the contrasting customs and culture. With the help of this you will easily find useful and reliable information about all tourist spots which will enable easy navigation for you.

Cheap travel Europe is a complete tour package which is made available by many travel agencies. All the travel agencies make all the arrangements from tickets to room reservation, food and transportation arrangement and various such things. These package tours especially provide complete insight of Europe within your limited resources. Services provided by these agencies are of affordable rates. You can easily search online to compare various packages and apply for the one which suits you for a cheap travel to Europe.

Tags: Budget, Cheap, Europe, Tours, Travel, within

Do not go there!

Polution, crime and long lines. A new guide book made by Peter Greenberg guides you away from the worst travel destinations on the earth.

Places you very well can avoid is listed up by Mr. Greenberg, and also lists up the airports you should avoid and at what times it is wise to visit sights around the world. A handy little guide, with some other perspective than other travel guides available to you.

Go there in the winter: According to Greenberg the lines at the Eiffeil tower in Paris is worst in the summer (big surprise?). He recommends of course to visit the sights in Paris in November and December months.

The internet is full of travel tips sites and guides that tells you were to go and what to see. An example of a travel guide is TripAdvisor

However, now there is a guide book available to you that tell you where you should not travel and make sure travelers stay away from these places.

The author calls his guide book; «Don’t go there!» And is listing up places not to go to and should avoid and at times you should avoid some places.

Here you will find a good overview of travel destinations that at first glance looks exotic and exiting, but be aware that some of these places can have surprises you would like to stay away from.

The guide book lists up the worst airports in the world and common tourist traps in addition to cover topics like pollution, crime and the worst environmental sinners.

Stinking beaches and hazardous roads have also been covered by the investigative traveler.

Several cruise ships are mentioned as not having acceptable sanitary conditions, lack of food hygiene and falsification of discharge logs.

You will in addition to advices get anecdotes about places you should avoid visiting.

For example the increased pollution in Delhi in India is caused by the increasing care sales amongst the normal people since a Indian car like Nano is sold for around 2500 USD which more people can afford in today’s India. The paradox is that some of the new cars pollute more than the older models according to what is written in the book.

The air in Calcutta is so bad that the police has to carry oxygen tanks with them., so you would not like to go for a walk and sightseeing there, unless you are a heavy smoker and do not mind to get some extra chemicals down your throat.

New York is a splendid city to visit, but be aware that statistically there will be a hurricane in the Big Apple soon. According to the guide book from Greenberg, the geography tells that the east coast of U.S.A is vulnerable to hurricanes and big storms, and big storms come on a regular basis to these areas through the last 100 years. The last big event was back in 1938, so watch out now.

In Pattaya polluted sanitary water is dumped into the ocean from large apartment complexes. The authorities made a law that complexes larger than 60 units should clean up their waste water before dumping it into the ocean. However, the entrepreneurs just found out to save costs they build complexes with 59 units in them and can therefore continue to dump sewage into the beach waters.

In the U.S.A you can visit the garlic capital called Gilroy in California, which is Americas arm pit. Battle Mountain in Nevada and the largest hand made well in Greensburg in Kansas, or maybe not.

First of all, this is a guide book for the normal tourist, which needs some guidance to avoid the tourist traps, and not avoid places were your health is at risk.

Here is a summary of destinations that Greenberg categorize as the worst candidates within their category.

Worst airports

• Sheremetevo in Moscow – corruption, lines, lousy service, dirty and depressive. Make sure you have dollars and toilet paper with you before you arrive here. There are no alternatives as the other 3 airports in Moscow are equally bad.

• Ninoy Aquino in Manila – taxi-mafia, corruption and general incompetence, but there is an alternative in Clark International which is newer.

• Leopold in Dakar –Do not spend to long time here, it’s dangerous as criminals rule the area in and around the airport and usually luggage gets lost here. There are no alternatives.

• Charles de Gaulle in Paris – smell, arrogance, and long lines combined with lack of logistics which is deemed to be the worst. Alternatives would be Paris-Orly or Paris-Beauvais
• Congonhas in São Paulo – is one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to safety of flights due to short runway and the state of it. There are no real alternatives as Guarulhos is to busy.

Pollution

• Tianying, China – an industrial city with lots of lead and heavy metals in the food. • Chongqing, China – crowded coal and steel city with an invisible sky line.

• Cairo, Egypt – 2,1 percent of the deaths are caused by air pollution and the city is full of industry.

• Delhi, India –the second largest polluted city in the world due to lots of traffic and lots of cheap cars which pollutes lots.

• Calcutta, India – 70 percent of the people there has asthmatic problems or lounge problems in one way or another. And the police use oxygen tanks.

 Windsor, Canada – is called North Americas most polluted city due to wind carried polluted air from Detroit.

• Mexico City, Mexico – lies in a pot with lots of ozone and particles in the air. The city is encapsulated by smog at all time.

 
Polluted waters

• Pattaya, Thailand – once it was a beautiful beach, but now the growing population pumps out pure sewage into the beach waters.

• Aral lake, Uzbekistan – dehydration causing death of fishes, salt and pure drinking water causes lots of diseases.

• King-river, Australia – dumping ground for copper mines, and all animal life is gone in parts of the river.

• Bangladesh – salt water destroys the drinking water and agriculture along the coast line pollutes a lot. There is a high content of arsenic in the water further inland.

• Jakarta, Indonesia – The large drinking water source is polluted due to large activity of chemical treatment of textiles in the area.

• Sarno-elva, Italy – Heavy metal pollution which pollutes rivers running into the Naples bay.

Toxins and radio activity

• Bhopal, India – A big accident in 1984 which still brings heavy smell close to the old factory there.

• Tsjernobyl, Ukraine – A known history of tragedy which is now used for extreme tourism as guided tours are given there. Do not risk this, stay away from there. • Dzerzjinsk, Russia – Fabrication of chemical weapons during the cold war and lots of remnants can be found in the region still.

• Kabwe, Zambia – lead exploitation up till 1994 and we can still find dangerous metals in the earth and waters.

• La Oroya, Peru – This place is full of heavy metals due to the industry in this area. • Linfen, China – is amongst the worst places in China and that tells you the most you need to know. Bring oxygen and water before you enter this area of the world.

Smelling places

• Taean, South-Korea – oil spill in 2007 makes the place smell terrible even today. • Rotorua, New Zealand – Geothermal activity makes the whole city smell sulfur, so do not plan to dress up in your finest clothes or taste good food and wine here.

• Naples, Italy – Very bad handling of garbage makes the trip to Vesuvius and the ruins not worth the trip.

• Dharavi-slum, Mumbai, India –a rapid growing slum with open sewage and terrible sanitary conditions.

 
Most tourist traffic

• New York – worst before Christmas and new years eve as well as during Thanksgiving.  Expensive hotels and crowded city makes it a nightmare for most of us. Its best going there between January and March or when the locals have long weekends in the summer and escape the city.

• Disney World, Florida – endless lines in school holidays, Christmas, easter, spring break and 4th of July. An advice is to go there on a Tuesday and first go to Magic Kingdom, then Epcot followed by Hollywood Studios and last Animal Kingdom.

• Grand Canyon – worst to visit during the normal weekdays since excursions and tours makes up most of the traffic and are found to be on these days. Its best to go there in October or early in the spring.

• Eiffel tower, Paris – very bad in the period between May and September and longest lines in the summer months. Its best to go there in November and December as lines are better at that time. Try to go there in the weeks following Thanksgiving and New-year.

• Louvre, Paris –weekends are worst, especially in the summer and in vacations. It is best to go there in the middle of the week or late on Fridays, after 20:00 as its open till 22:00 in Fridays.

• Ayers Rock, Australia – Populated on the look out points at sun rise and sunset. Its best to go there in February, April or December.

• Great Barrier Reef, Australia – 1,8 million of visitors per year by boat, semi-subs or helicopters. Its best not to visit at all, rather try Lord Howe Island or Dunk Island which is more or less identical and much less people.
• Pyramides in Giza, Egypt – most popular between October and April months and when its not hot. You should go there as early in the morning as possible at around 5:00 o clock and look at the pyramids in the sunrise. It makes the objects much more photogenic and less people around you as well. Rent a driver that collects you and ride into the sunrise in the morning.

• The Chinese Wall – Big crowds year around and the tourists comes around 09:00, come there before this, and you can be almost alone on the wall, and enjoy this architecture alone.

Crime and dangers

• Yemen – has a bad reputation with kidnapping of westerners, and do not ever drive a car there.

• Tijuana, Mexico – drug cartels dealing with kidnapping and shootouts; take care of your money.

• São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – violence and corruption combined with dangers of being robbed and shot at.
• Johannesburg, South-Africa –not as bad as its reputation, but still lots of violence, robberies and rapes in the streets.

• Kingston, Jamaica – increasing crime in areas outside the tourist hotels.

• Port-au-Prince, Haiti – kidnapping and other types of crimes are common here. Foreign airliners personnel never leave the airport when they have to stay here.

Tags: crime, dangers, Places, pollution, THERE, Travel

There is one item that in my opinion must be a travel accessory and this is usually ignored by most people but for the fact that immigration or other traveling institutions make it a provision.

This often neglected “accessory’ is insurance coverage. More often than not we limit accessories to physical needs, whereas insurance ought to be our companion while we travel. This intangible accessory is more important that the clothing and food we will always want to get along with. There are so many hazards that can be associated with traveling and we ought to be forewarned of these in order to be forearmed.

The first thing to do before traveling is to cover you against all unforeseen events. This will normally be costly. It will be advisable to verify from your insurer whether your present scheme provides you with coverage while you travel especially if you intend going out of the country. If the answer is in the affirmative, take note that not all your intended destinations will cost the same. For example the cost of insurance to England will be cheaper than that to Indonesia, Iraq of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where war or natural disaster can be a hazard to your wellbeing. The next worry should be the extent and conditions of your coverage. For example you may not be covered in case of injury while in a bus, but you might only be covered in case of death while on flight. Also check out the type of valuables that will be covered by your insurers. Make sure your worries are clarified before you embark on your journey.

The solution to travel insurance is not only that you are insured, but to get what you are actually paying for. For example how does an insurance scheme benefit you if you are provided coverage only in cases of injury while on board and aircraft? You of course know that it may be easier to be injured while you are on the ground. If you rent a car in the course of your trip, also make sure that the insurance covering the car has provision for third parties and for loss to objects found in the car. You may also want to provide insurance for your personal belongings such as jewelleries, laptop computers and even to your pets, if you intend traveling with one. But you must first make certain that these things are in the best of shape for travel. You veterinary doctor should be able to evaluate the pet’s health, whether special medications and care will be needed.

Talking about pets, there are certain accessories that you must bring along with you. The pet’s cage should not be left out. Also include enough food, water, drugs, towel to soak up your pet if it gets wet. Remember to bring along a strong bridle to strap up your pet from getting loose. An item worth remembering is a tag attached to your pet or a photo of your pet for easy identification and eventual communication to you in case the pet goes astray.

Tags: Asset, Insurance, Travel

Second largest continent in world, Europe is one of the most diversified continents on planet earth. Due to its cultural diversification it has established itself as a famous tourist attraction. Europe is visited by 59% of total travelers that visit across the world. This is enough to understand the importance of this continent. If you are also planning to visit Europe than this article about Europe travel will help you to understand about Europe and its culture.

Countries in Europe are vast and have dissimilar culture with many different places, history and tradition. It is good to know about insights of all countries before travelling so as to enjoy your trip to fullest. A trip that is planned in advance is best as it not only save money but you can also enjoy much more and remain comfortable throughout your journey. Planning trip in advance consists of knowing about the places you will be visiting, making advance hotel and flight booking, gathering knowledge about geography and weather conditions of that place, know about the tradition and prices of that particular place and deciding your overall budget. (more…)

Tags: Europe, Guide, Travel

From 27th till 29th of November 2007 EIBTM was organized in Barcelona. This is a yearly world fair for the Incentive and Events Business. For the first time World of DMC’s opened a stand there.

The member DMC’s from all over the world showed Travel Agents and Incentive Houses their passion for their destinations. Visitors found wonderful ideas for incentive travel and events organization worldwide. And for these local travel agents in different far away countries it was a unique opportunity to share ideas and experiences.

What is and offers a DMC?

* a destination management company or a travel agent in a destination

* all the local contacts to organize a creative incentive travel experience

* all the local contacts to organize a congress or an event

* hotel bookings, excursions, transfers, guides, conference venues, restaurant facilities etc. (more…)

Tags: Dmc’s, Easy, Events, Incentive, Organization, Solution, Travel, World, Worldwide

The reason to travel to Europe may be different for each traveler, but a few of the common reasons are: Cultural Opportunities: For those interested in museums, arts, history, music or theater Europe travel offers nearly endless opportunity for cultural activity. From London to Paris to Rome to Amsterdam travelers can enjoy some of the most exciting cultural opportunities the world has to offer. People like to visit the countries of their ancestors. Ancient European were wanderers who put up stakes in destinations around the world. Their descendants are now traveling to Europe to return to their roots and see the places their forefathers once called home.

Europe is the second largest continent in the world. This is a diversified continent because of its cultural diversification. An established fact about the continent which came out in the year 2004 is that Europe is visited by the 59% of the total people visiting across the world. If you are also planning a trip here then Europe travel guide could be the best solution for you which can provide you the whole information about this beautiful continent. The Europe travel guides are made by the professionals who have a good experience and association with Europe. Guides have the information about hotels; hang out spots, night life, popular restaurants, shopping centers, sightseeing information, taxi rentals, places of attraction, weather information and lots more. These guides are perfect for planning your (more…)

Tags: Europe, Travel

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required.

When planning your travels or buying your airline tickets, you have probably come across definitions and terms that might have seemed strange to you. Granted, many of the definitions and terms become more understandable as you become familiar with the industry as a frequent flier. While there are many terms for hotel room types, car types, and travel amenities, the area that we shall attempt to define would be tours.

Tour operators try to make their brochures and websites as attractive, informative and understandable as possible; however, in reading this information you will undoubtedly encounter some terminology that is new and unfamiliar. To assist you, here’s a glossary covering some of the terminology you will most frequently find in brochures, fliers, and on websites. (more…)

Tags: Back, Dare, Enjoy, Terms, Travel, Understand

Was traveling to Europe a dream that you always wanted to live? Are you now planning a trip to second largest continent? But you are taken back due to exorbitant expenses that might not let you fulfill your dreams? Don’t be apprehensive about the prices, because cheap Europe travel packages have been tailored to allow you to overcome the financial restrictions. Now you can plan a tour within your budget and financial parameters.

There are various packages to choose from among a wide range. These packages are inclusive of your boarding and return tickets, taxi, hotel, safari and many other services. All the arrangements are done beforehand for your convenience. There are a number of great tourist destinations and places to visit. To name a few Greece, Italy, Cyrus, Finland, Luxembourg, Macedonia, UK, Switzerland and Turkey are among popular destinations.

You can tailor your package according to your preferences and favorite destinations. You can get the package within your budgetary allocations that are pocket friendly. The most important thing that will help you to avoid exorbitant cots is the season. If it is a holiday season and the peak time then the prices will be realty high so to negotiate for prices the off season or going before peak season can b beneficial. Pre plan everything that you can so that you don’t waste your time and money later.

To best way to find cheap Europe travel package is online. There are various sites that can be consulted and you can find a good deal easily. Before getting a package for yourself it is important to check whether any hidden charges are included or not. So before availing any packages thoroughly understand the terms. You can collect information about the destination as well and grab the required information.

Cheap Europe travel packages enable you to plan your holiday trip at affordable prices. So just don’t waste your time thinking!

Tags: affordable, Cheap, Europe, Packages, Travel

India remains one of the most visited places in the world. With its ethnicity and rich culture, it is visited by many foreign visitors and tourists. Handicrafts of India are very popular among the foreign visitors and locals as well. Every state in India has got its own special handicraft that is different in style from the others. There are several Indian travel packages available to choose from. You can choose the package that suites your budget and preferences.

Today’s India flaunts a combination of traditional and modern flavors. If there are old architecture to check out then there is modern buildings and lanes too. Being one of the most demanded travel destinations in the world, India will never disappoint you. Visiting India is now easier with quality travel agencies and hotel booking providers. With several packages available for traveling in India, one needs to choose the right deal to go for.

With an abundance of visitors, India is well prepared with many budget accommodation options that offer Cheap Hotel and discount hotels that suits every type of budget. Many of these hotels offer best of lodging experience to the visitors. India offers many fascinating locations to look for in India. Some of them are Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Bangalore, and Delhi.

Right said by Mark Twain, “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!” From mountains, beaches, hill stations, wildlife, heritage sites, adventure sports, pilgrim sites, deserts, to monuments, India has everything to offer.

Traveling to India can be as exiting and thrilling as possible. For tours and travels, this country has oodles of fascinating locations to visit. India is the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent and is surrounded by China and Nepal to the north, Pakistan to the west, Bhutan to the north-east, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia lie to the south-east and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. By land size, India is the seventh largest country in the world. Foreigners get attracted to the multi-lingual and multi-ethnic cultural life followed in India.

There are many India travel tours for the visitors. These tours cover a range of travel themes like leisure, cultural heritage, nature & green tourism, wildlife and hill stations, beach tourism, adventure & sports, pilgrimage, Ayurveda & yoga, and medical tourism. All these travel packages are provided separately for different regions.

Tags: India, Tour, Travel