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Yea, I messed up, I meant Passport! Looks like I’ll have to post another question!

When deciding that you are going to travel to see the many different beautiful landscapes of Europe, the mode of transportation will significantly impact your experience. Ever since the European Union formed, it has made traveling between different countries much more affordable. So whether you are on a romantic honeymoon with your fiancée, on a family vacation or just as a student back packing around, transportation does not have to put a dent in your wallet.

Taking the train through the various country sides is a pleasurable experience. Many different people of diverse economic statuses that you encounter along the way also prefer to travel by train. The appeal of visiting destinations that are completely culturally different from your home are the people that you encounter and the conversations you have along the way. You will find many different types of rail passes for your journey across Europe that will be affected by how many destinations you’d like to visit and the amount of people you travel with. The fares also take into consideration how many days you would like to travel for. Traveling by train can be more appropriate for individuals under the age of 26 because your Eurail Youth Pass will be for a discounted amount of Euros.   

While you will not be able to simply look out the window and admire the various views of Europe, traveling by train at night will be considerably cheaper. When you travel at night, you will find that they have sleeper car accommodations. In these sleeper cars, there are bunks for you to energize in preparation of your day of sightseeing. The sleeper cars are not private, but the plus side is that you will not lose a day traveling and will be able to spend more time sight seeing. Taking the train will also deliver you and the people you are traveling with directly into the center of most cities. You will rarely find yourself in obscure destinations feeling lost and disoriented while trying to make your way back to the destination you actually want to end up in.

Most travelers will choose to travel by train; however what you sacrifice in comfort by taking coach, you will save in expenses. You can travel between many European cities by coach, since many companies will have organized coach routes. Taking coach will most likely be more appealing to students who are looking to save money on their trip. Coach also is more appropriate when your destination is not one of the major European cities, but a smaller town or land mark. Many times once you arrive by train, you will need to find another mode of transportation to get to the smaller location. Coaches will more likely deliver you directly. A few companies will also offer combinations of coach/train packages that ultimately will get you to both the larger and smaller destinations and will provide a cheaper rate altogether.

In the end, it comes down to price and comfort that will affect your decision of whether to go train or coach.

Safety and security are always a concern when you travel. Everyday, travelers venture into large metropolitan cities both domestic and international. No matter where travelers go, they will end up in locations where street crime exists. It is even more prevalent in countries where unemployment, poverty, and overpopulation exist. In some countries, a traveler’s watch can equal a few months salary. Often criminals specifically target travelers if they are women, or because if they carry an expensive equipment, and will often not return to prosecute if the criminal is caught.

A person who travels alone, most likely turns to be a victim of the petty crime. Person travelling alone faces more risks when compared to a person travelling with someone or groups. All over the world, we could see travelers facing crimes. We cannot just say that, travelers are targeted only for their jewels or a lump sum of money. Petty crimes take place even for a penny. The most stolen items are cash, jewels, credit cards, mobile phones, cameras, passports and even sometimes your wardrobes. Criminals are wiser than us. At times, a petty crime may end up in losing lives too. So, it is advisable to travel in groups rather than traveling alone. Though losing our money or other belongings may be a great loss losing a passport is worse. While travelling to countries abroad, passport plays a major role to depict our identity.  So, passports have to be kept very safe from getting into the hands of the criminals.

One of the best ways to prevent crime is to visit your own government’s international travel safety information and warnings website. You’ll find up-to-date travel information, details on potential safety issues ranging from pickpocketing to terrorism, even weather warnings. Gather knowledge about latest travel warnings and be alert of your surroundings during your trip. If you are concerned about the safety situation, avoid border cities and unpopulated areas.

When traveling with children, teach them to tell your name, house address and contact numbers, which will be very useful if they get lost or get into the hands of the strangers. But advise them not to pass on this information to casual enquirers or over phone. Don’t leave them alone in crowded places. For toddlers who are yet to communicate clearly, tie an identity tag or card.

In many big cities, you may be approached by strangers asking you your place, your details and so on.  Unfortunately, when you travel alone you have to be wary of people and trusting someone you have just met is a risky business.  You have to remember that <personal safety </a> is a must.

Finally, the important thing is that, travelers should be bold enough to report to the cops, when they are affected by criminals. In many popular destinations, you could find tourist police who can help you. Don’t get panic in disastrous situations. Traveling not only involves handling risky situations, but also contains lot of delightful experiences.

What is a â??sister cityâ?? and how can you travel to one on a budget? 

 

A number of cities all over the globe have adopted a sister city in another part of the world to promote greater understanding, among other things, between the two cities and their nations. The sister city â??movementâ?? began at the end of World War II and was instigated by America.

 

Participating cities aim to develop friendships and foster relationships between their chosen sister cities (some cities have more than one sister) and to encourage peace and understanding between nations. This is done in a number of ways â?? encouraging business and economic relationships through trade and technology, stimulate cultural and creative networks, develop partnerships between cities and countries and to provide the opportunity for sister city citizens to experience other cultures through travel.

 

Traveling to your sister city may be something you wish to do and it can be done at relatively low cost if you are able to become part of an exchange program. Cultural exchanges between sister cities are generally paid for by your home town. Some cities select students to travel to their sister city for a period of time, (it could be weeks or months) and pay all expenses. If you are a student, investigate what opportunities are available for this type of travel.

 

Traveling to a sister city is not only for students. Other residents may participate in the program as well. You may be selected as an ambassador of your town to travel to the sister city and take part in projects fostered by the sister cities. You will then likely to be asked to host visitors from the sister city when they travel to your country. If you are able to get on one of these exchange programs you can expect accommodation and food to be taken care of (you will probably be living with a sister city family) but you may have to get involved in fundraising for your trip.

 

If you think this sounds like a fun (and cheap) way to travel, visit your townâ??s web site and find out about their sister city program. Youâ??ll need to become a member and join in the volunteer program to help with fundraising. You could be asked to host visitors from your sister city and you may get the opportunity to travel. Becoming involved in the sister city program means becoming a part of creating community links and learning about other cultures â?? exactly what traveling is all about. You may even have ideas for your communityâ??s sister city program and how it can further foster its global sistersâ?? relationships.

 

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel â?? Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

One you can afford – seriously. 

Look at how much you earn. What can you put aside for a trip? What are you prepared to sacrifice to make your trip a reality? Maybe you’ve been saving for a while and have a few thousand dollars in the bank. You do? Great. Well that’s your realistic budget. If you want to fly to Europe tomorrow and you only have ten dollars in the bank then you are not being realistic. But it might be enough to get you in to the local museum for a few hours escape.

When you are setting your budget, be practical. Everyone has different needs for their travel experience and if your travel plans include overseas flights, you will need to budget accordingly. Sure you can find great deals and get there cheaper than you might have expected, but make sure you have enough money in your budget to not only get you there but to travel around, find a place to sleep, oh and have enough money to be able to eat! 

So how do you go about setting a budget? Following these steps might help:

1. Draw up a table with two columns.

2. Column A is for Expense Items. Column B is for Approximate Costs.

3. In column A write down all the things you can think of that will cost you money while traveling. These might include: air flights, car hire/fuel allowance, travel passes, sight-seeing tours, accommodation, food, insurance, immunizations, and souvenirs.

4. In column B write an estimate of how much you think these things will cost while on your trip. You can research your travel costs quite easily on the Internet. Food allowance might be a bit more difficult. If you are traveling alone, as a couple or in a family you will need to budget food costs accordingly.

5. Now add up the costs. This will give you an estimate of how much your trip will cost. Can you afford it? Yes – then this is a realistic budget for you. If not, then you may have to rethink your destination and the type of travel experience you want.

Remember that this table will only be an estimate of your travel costs. You must also budget for incidentals and prepare yourself for things to not go to plan. For example, have you got enough money in your budget to buy new clothes if your luggage goes missing? A realistic travel budget will have extra built in to it to cover emergencies. Setting yourself a budget of about sixty-five dollars a day, if traveling alone, is a reasonable amount. If you are traveling as a family or in a group, this number will be vastly different. 

Also consider if you will be traveling and working. If this is the case, then you may not need as much to start with, just enough money to get you to your destination and a place to live while you look for work. (And enough money to buy you food until you begin earning a wage.)

Start making your travel plans with your budget in mind. Don’t exceed your budget, always keep a little in reserve so you can buy that fantastic Italian leather handbag or go jet-skiing in Hawaii if the desire takes you!

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel – Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

The best time to travel is in the holidays, right? Not if you want to make big savings on your traveling costs it’s not. If you travel in off peak (or low season) periods, or even in the shoulder season, you’ll find traveling costs a lot less.

Where are you traveling? Do you know the peak travel times for this destination? Summer and spring, no matter where you are, are generally considered the peak seasons to travel, unless you are a winter sports enthusiast. In that case, ski resorts will be having their peak season in winter. And what hemisphere are you thinking of visiting? The seasons differ depending on whether you are north or south. For example, the North America summer months are June, July, August but in Australia the summer months are December, January and February. You will need to research your destination to find out the low season times to visit.

First of all, what type of savings can you expect to make if you travel in the off-peak season? 

1. Air fares are much cheaper. There are less people wanting to fly so air carriers drop their prices to attract customers. Take advantage of these great savings. If you are traveling in the high season, see if you can book a flight mid-week. These flights are generally cheaper too.

2. Accommodation is cheaper and more readily available. In high season it can be difficult to find a place to stay in popular tourist destinations and when you do find somewhere it can be up to twice as much as when traveling in the off peak.

3. Eating in restaurants can be cheaper too. Owners will be trying to attract patrons so see what sort of deals you can find when eating out.

There are some other positives to traveling in the off peak season, other than saving money. There are fewer tourists for one, so visiting any cultural sight will be much more enjoyable. You can get more of an idea of what a destination is really like without the thousands of extra people. Experiencing the true culture is a real bonus. Did you know that opera season is in full swing in Europe in winter? Or that winter in Australia is often the best time to visit places in the north when the humidity and heat are bearable. Or how about visiting the best holiday markets in Germany in December? Do some research to find out what your chosen destination can offer in off peak, ones that you won’t experience in high season travel times.

So what are the negatives of traveling in the off peak? Well there are a few, but if you plan well you can overcome most drawbacks. Off peak usually means traveling in colder weather and that also means less daylight hours. Pack wisely and remember to dress in layers for the cold weather. Some tourist places close earlier or do not open at all in the off peak, so check up before you go so you are not disappointed. You will also find that in some areas the public transport system does not run as often as in peak tourist season. Find out what options you have to get to places and don’t be caught out missing the last bus home in the middle of winter, in the middle of nowhere! Some hotels and museums close down for the winter to re-furbish and get ready for the next high season influx of tourists. You can gamble and bargain your way to a great accommodation deal once you get to your destination, but all your bartering skills will be of no use if the hotels are all closed. It’s best to check what’s open before you go.

If traveling in the off-peak doesn’t sound attractive to you, then you might like to try the shoulder season and still get some travel price reductions. The shoulder season is considered the period leading up to and away from the high season. Usually in this time you’ll get decent weather, less crowds and lower travel costs – not the great bargains you’ll get in off peak, but lower costs nonetheless.

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel – Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

True or false?