Honeymoon Getaway On A Budget
Photo credit goes to Nasrulla Adnan
As a couple, you would simply love to get away from it all to somewhere really romantic. The only problem is, you have a really tight budget, so where could you go that would be easy on your pocket, yet give you the distinct feeling that you are on a romantic holiday? Well, pack your briefcases and get ready for that romantic holiday you’ve been waiting for!
When planning your romantic getaway, start close to home. This will save you expensive airfares, as you will be able to reach your destination very easily by car. Also, there are so many beautiful holiday destinations to choose from that even though you are only a stone’s throw away from where you live, you will definitely feel as if you have had the romantic holiday of your dreams.
Another really clever way to save money is to schedule your romantic holiday during off-peak season. There are a couple of advantages to doing this. The main thing is that most holiday destinations offer lower rates during off-peak season because of the fact that there are less holiday makers at these times. This also means that you and your partner will be able to really enjoy a lovely relaxed holiday without the usual crushing crowds.
Very importantly when planning your holiday, shop around for special offers and discounts. This doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest rates either – it’s all a matter of getting the best value possible for your money. Also, seeing that you are planning a romantic getaway, make sure to look out for hotels and resorts that have special rates for romantic getaways and honeymoons. There are also holiday destinations that have free meals included in their tariffs, as well as those that offer special deals on rental cars to and from the hotel.
Speaking of hotels, don’t spoil your romantic getaway by thinking that because a hotel has a five-star rating that you are in for the holiday of a lifetime. These high-end places have tariffs that match their rating – they’re expensive! Spend a little extra time checking on those little out of the way hotels or those never heard of bed and breakfasts – they are very cozy and because they are not well-known sometimes offer just as great a service as their wealthy cousins.
Then again, if you and your partner love the outdoors, why not opt for a romantic camping holiday? All you need is your camping gear, some food, and each other. What could be more romantic than spending quality time with the love of your life at a destination where you will only be sharing your time with the beauty of nature, the crackling fire, and the sound of birdsong?
Your romantic getaway need not cost a fortune. It’s not the price of your destination that you want to remember forever, but rather the great time that you shared together.
Lynette writes for briefcases and lives very happily with two dogs and two cats in a little village called Koringberg in the Western Cape, South Africa.
When I first started traveling at the age of 18, many people where really scared for me. They always mentioned to me, “ Aren’t you a little young to travel alone, and how are your parents letting you do this. “ This one statement was thrown at me so many times. It was always, wow your parent are letting you travel. It’s hard to even imagine how many parents these days won’t let their children see the world. I don’t know what I would have done, if my parents said no. I may have just left and done it anyways. Yet, at the same time you want to feel comfortable enough to tell your parents that you are going to travel for a while. I find the more the generations past, the more parents are getting protective. They worry more and feel that the world is a dangerous place. I truly believe that many parents don’t understand how important it is to experience other cultures and see new places alone, without family members.
Many parents think this, when it comes to their children traveling:
1. Unsafe, violent, or getting robbed
2. Getting hurt: Physically
3. Running out of money
4. Can’t control what their child is doing
5. Don’t know their child’s whereabouts
6. Their child is not confident enough to handle themselves.
Although, really a parent should look towards the positive side of things, such as :
1. Their child will grow more confident, from traveling
2. They will learn more about other countries
3. They will learn very quickly how to take care of themselves
4. They will feel comfortable enough to know if they are in real trouble they can call home
5. Traveling will increase their ability to know what is safe and what isn’t.
6. Traveling is perfect for when they get back home and start a real job. They will have more knowledge about life/the world.
7. Their child is more aware of what life is made up of, compared to staying at home and sheltered from it all.
Over all the out come from traveling is much more of a learning experience rather then being at home. I believe every kid should experience traveling; it’s a great way to get to know whom you are and what you want to do in life. After seeing other cultures, everything seems more real and you soon quickly appreciate who you are and where you are from.
Backpacking is a fantastic way to emerse yourself in new cultures and see the world, however, there are many risks involved in backpacking. Quite often you will stand out as a tourist and be easy prey for the experienced criminal. As well as this you are more likely to try out new exciting activities such as moped riding, scuba diving, white water rafting, skiing or mountaineering just to name a few. These activities are great fun but exceptionally high risk. You are also away for a long period of time and therefore it is more likely you will have to make a claim on your travel insurance.
Travel Insurance providers are very crafty and if you have to make a travel insurance claim providers make you jump through many a hoop before they will accept a claim and give you your money back to cover the claim.
The main reasons providers decline travel insurance claims are as follows:
• Lost or stolen items were not reported to the local authorities,
• Or no evidence was produced to suggest the local authorities were informed.
• Customers fail to contact their insurance provider to make the claim within the time period stated on their insurance policy (often this is only a few days).
• Injuries occurred while the backpacker was taking part in an activity not covered by the travel insurance provider.
The best way to avoid a travel insurance provider from declining your claim is to be as prepared as possible before you go away and have a small knowledge about what to do if you have to make a claim.
Before you go away
• Shop around for a decent policy before you go. Do not do what a lot of backpackers do and take out the cheapest travel insurance policy available. Cheap policies often have a huge excess which you have to pay if you need to make a claim and they also do not cover you for important items like personal possessions or emergency evacuation.
• Buy a policy that covers all of the activities you are planning on doing while you are away. Most providers offer you the opportunity to customise your policy to cover various activities at a slightly higher cost so consider what activities you want to do before you go and add them to your policy if they are not already included in the policy.
• Make a copy of your travel insurance documents and take one copy and leave another copy with a friend or relative at home. If you have a secure email account email a copy to yourself along with a copy of your passport and any other important documents.
While you are away
• Do not take part in any risky activities unless you know your policy covers you for such activities.
• Do not take part in any illegal activities. If you have an accident or lose your belongings while doing something illegal your insurance will not cover you for any assistance you may need.
If you need to make a claim
• If something has been lost or stolen contact the local authorities as soon as you are aware the item is missing.
• Contact your insurance provider immediately and inform them of the situation.
• Collect up as much evidence of the incident as possible to present to your insurance provider. This includes photos, Doctor reports and signed police reports. The more evidence you have the easier it is to make a claim on your insurance.
• When you are home send your insurance provider a copy of all of the evidence you collected.
• Keep a record of every time you have contacted the travel insurance provider.
• Try and contact your travel insurance provider by email so you have written evidence of your communications with them. If you spoke on the phone drop them an email confirming what was said on the phone.
• Get the name of the person you correspond with regarding your claim and try and speak to them every time.
• Be persistent, keep contacting your travel insurance provider until the money for your claim is securely in your account.
For further information and advice on travel insurance visit the travel insurance guide http://www.travelinsuranceguide.org.uk/know-before-you-go.html
Back in 2007 I backpacked China for about 17 days. It was a very random adventure on my part. During this year I was in between my university years and I decided to work in Calgary, Alberta for the summer to make some good cash. During this time Calgary was doing really well and the pay was great at any job you worked at. So since I was in Calgary and at the time a guy I was dating was traveling in Asia I decided to meet him in China. I found a really cheap flight to Beijing from Calgary, yet I didn’t have a whole lot of cash in my pocket at the time. I went to China with a few hundred bucks in my hands and a credit card. Not knowing that most of China doesn’t accept credit cards – only Hong Kong was good for that. So as you can imagine my trip was truly backpacking it, but at the same time I experienced amazing things due to really roughing it out. Although on the other hand I was lucky to have someone with me incase of any money issues.
Now as a backpacker situations like this – running out of money can be common among us. So what do you do in a crisis like this? Well there are a few options. Some depend on how long you are backpacking for.
1.Travel Writing
Many of us backpackers always have plenty of travel stories to share to others. So why not write about them and get paid for it? It’s easy money and its fast money too. You just need to find a source in where you want to write and from there you can generate a great income to keep you traveling without getting stuck. Plus you can even write reviews for hostels, restaurants, or tours.
2.Working in a bar or Restaurant
If you want to make great cash, meet people and have a good time, take up bartending or waitressing. Where ever you travel to there will always be a restaurant or a bar that is looking for an extra hand. Even if you need a few hundred dollars it the perfect place to grab a few extra dollars in your hand.
3.Working in a Hostel
Now, mind you this is the easiest way to find a job anywhere in the world. Just apply to a hostel and from there you will not only make money but you will meet people just like you! I have known tones of fellow backpacker who have done this route in order to get some more money for traveling and they loved it! Great idea to make money if you are stuck for cash.
4.Working abroad as a teacher
Many of my friends have taught in China, Japan and South Korea and from this they have travelled to so many parts of Asia. This is not only an amazing way to learn about a culture but also experience many more other cultures around you. Plus the money is just great. Usually you can get free accommodation, and maybe a free flight back home. Oh it has its pro’s!!
5.Open ended Ticket
Now this is if you are traveling for only a certain amount of time or if you don’t want to work in another country. Purchase an open ended plane ticket before your big trip and from there you can jump on any flight if a situation occurs that is out of your “hand”. Like that lack of money. It’s a great safety net.
Now these are just a few great ways to make money on the go, but at the same time make sure you have a safety net. Not like me – going to China with no money. AHAHAHHA. I guess that’s what happens when you really want to just go backpacking eh.
Stuck in an Airport Overnight
Have you ever been stuck in an airport overnight because of a flight delay or cancellation? Or did you already book a cheaper flight to your destination where the second leg of your flight was only departing the next morning? These situations are most likely to happen once in your life. For those more frequent travelers, I’m sure it already happened multiple times.
Photo Credit: www.daninjapan.com
From personal experience, I learned that there is no point to get frustrated when these type of unplanned events occur. On my way to Ushuaia, Argentina a few years back, my overnight flight from Chicago to Buenos Aires got delayed until the next morning due to technical issues. We were given hotel vouchers but many flights were also delayed because of the weather and it was impossible to get on a shuttle to the hotel. Since we had already left the secured area and it was past midnight, they wouldn’t let us back in to the gates section. We spent the entire night sleeping on a chair in Chicago O’Hare Airport. I had a cold at the time, I was freezing and beyond annoyed. Not to forget to mention that we were also missing our flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, which was booked as a completely different leg of the trip. Another instance, I was poor so my flight from Rome to London landed around 1am but my flight London-Montreal was only leaving the next day at 4pm. I couldn’t afford a hotel so I slept in the Airport. On my way back from Brazil last winter, my flight from Salvador-Sao Paolo was delayed so I missed my flight from Sao Paolo to NYC and I was stuck on standby hoping to get on the next flight to North America as soon as possible.
All this to say that if you travel a lot, you’ll eventually get stuck in an airport! How did I cope with it? Well, at first, I had lots of frustration. But through experiences, I learned to better plan my travels.
- Plan the unplanned. Expect flight delays. If you’re traveling during the winter season, it’s most likely going to happen. What’s the best way to cope with it? Be prepared. Always keep your toothbrush, a change of clothes, earplugs and some snacks and magazines on your carry on.
- Give yourself a buffer. If that’s the case, don’t plan to arrive at your destination on a Monday for example and then start a tour on the Tuesday. Your flight can be delayed, the airline can lose your luggage or you may arrive to your destination sick or exhausted. The best way to avoid being stressed about a delayed flight is to minimize the impact that flight has on your plans. Consider leaving a one or two-day buffer between your arrival and the beginning of a tour if any.
- Don’t stress. If you do miss a flight or if you’re stuck sleeping in an airport, it’s no big deal. Don’t be annoyed and anxious about it, it won’t change anything! Accept it and move on. Some airports, such as Chicago O’Hare actually have cots for stranded passengers. In Heathrow for example, you’ll find areas of backpackers sleeping so consider sleeping next to other people to avoid being alone.
Hostels & How Unique They Can Be
Check this video out and see how unique hostels can really be. Many new backpackers aren’t aware of how amazing hostels can be. Plus many people don’t realize what hostels can offer. Let me know your thoughts about this video. There are still lots more of what hostels can offer, but first go and explore a few and you will see how much fun they are!!
After much debate on whether I should spend the extra money to visit Zanzibar, I decided to go through with it! When will I ever go back to Tanzania? Who knows? So that’s when I decided that I was indeed going to visit Zanzibar, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!!
Photo Credit: http://www.starstore.com/
So how will I be spending the Holidays this year? Check it out my itinerary!
- My flight Montreal-Kilimanjaro is on Dec 16th in the evening. Arrival to Kilimanjaro International Airport on Friday Dec 17th. I’ll have to transfer to Moshi, the town where my hike begins from.
- I have 3 full days in Moshi (Dec 18-20) to relax, explore the town and get acclimatized. I had fever last year before leaving for my Brazilian adventure in the Amazon so I rather pay the extra $$ to relax and get over any colds I may catch between now and then.
- My 7-day and 5,893 m (or 19,334 ft) hike to Kilimanjaro summit begins on Tue Dec 21. I hope you’ll be thinking about me because I may be freaking out! I’ll be spending Christmas on the mountain. How cool is that?!
- After an exhausting hike, my 5-day safari to the Serengeti will begin on Tue Dec 28th. I’ll be spending New Year’s Eve in the Serengeti surround by wild animals! Very random and fun!
- Following a difficult hike and a fun safari, it’ll be time to relax and enjoy Africa! I’ll be heading to Zanzibar on Jan 2 to explore pristine beaches and enjoy my last 4 days on the continent.
Having scary but exciting feelings is confusing! It’s probably one of the most challenging things on my list of things to do before I die. I’m obviously looking forward to it but with some reserve I guess. Let’s see how things work out for me… Keep you posted with my planning 
Burning Man In 5 Days!!
- photo credit: http://www.festivalpig.com
An event that started with only 20 people has now grow to 48,000 participates in 24 years. It all started in San Francisco on Baker Beach where Larry Harvey constructed a wooden figure and burned it. First it was only a spontaneous performace, but now it is an event where everyone in the world knows about. Known as the Burning Man. As many people say, it is an event that is very difficult to explain, only a person who has truly experienced the event can explain it. There are so many different definitions of the Buring Man experience that overall it is known to be a journey to the Black Rock Desert for one week out of a year to be part of an experimental community. It always takes place during the same time every year Aug 30 – Sept 6 and each year the price increases, for this year it is $350 per person.
Photo Credit:http://www.bugbog.com
So to explain this event to you even though I have never experienced it maybe a little difficult for me to grasp the whole concept of it. But this is what I have found out about it. This event challenges people in 110 degree weather to express themselves at which they can not do in a regular day to day life. There are rules, but there are no rules in how a person can express oneself and how they contribute to the community. As a participant of this event, you are encouraged to create a theme for the year and to help it come alive, by an assortment of different arts. Whether it is paintings, costumes, or gifts, the event is filled with creating a large scale of art. It is an event to have people create, experience, understand life in there own way. Every person becomes their own individual, there own self.
This event is known to be a great way to reconnect and understand who you are. It’s known to create a different journey for you forever. It is the “ Art of the Buring Man.”
So have you ever experienced the Burning Man? If so we would love to hear about your experience.
Blah, Blah, Blah, WHAT?!
Photo Credit: http://www.worldhum.com
Were you ever at a train station trying to purchase tickets but couldn’t understand anything the teller was telling you? Were you ever lost in a city because you couldn’t read the street names? Although traveling is fun and it allows you to discover new things, you will indeed encounter some difficult moments, one being a language barrier.
There is no right or wrong way to get ready to face a language barrier. But the essential is to somehow prepare yourself for the challenge if you know you’ll be facing it. From personal experience, I normally refer to my travel guide to learn the key words such as please, thank you, where is, etc. You may not be able to put a sentence together but you’ll be polite at the least, and that is always appreciated, regardless of the culture.
Understanding the culture you will be visiting is also key when visiting a country, whether you are facing a language barrier or not. For example, expect a South American to stand close to you when entertaining a conversation. Or when in Asia, you’ll notice locals smiling at you, even if they don’t understand what you’re saying. Research social etiquette of that particular country because you’ll be heavily relying on non-verbal communication if you don’t speak the language.
Patience is a virtue. You’ll quickly learn this when struggling to find simple words of a foreign language. Don’t panick, simply take your time to get your message across but do try! If you don’t try, you’ll never learn! And for the record, if you do sound like a fool, who cares? You don’t know anyone and you’ll just look back at it and laugh. Laughing is good medicine :)
To The Northern Parts Of Canada
Photo credit: http://paulocoelhoblog.com
Wherever I travel to, everyone knows where Canada is, well only because it is the second largest country in the world. Yet, know one really knows what Canada is made up of. What I mean by that is most of the majority of people in world don’t know where our major cities are located and what the provinces/territories are called. Even when I travel to the US, many individuals have no idea that Canada even has territories, let alone the names of them. I found this out, by asking a few fellow America backpackers. They all mentioned that they didn’t learn much about the Canadian geography in school. But for some odd reason, this July tourism in the Northern parts of Canada has increased and most of the people are coming from the U.S.A. Another words, maybe now more people are more aware of what Canada has to offer when it comes to traveling/sight-seeing.
A few things to do & see in the Northern parts of Canada:
- View one of the most spectacular things to see on the earth: Aurora Borealis. “Northern Lights”
- Dog Sledding
- Mountain climbing and expeditions
- Sea kayaking
- Sailing on Great Slave Lake
- Snow king Festival in Yellowknife
- Go on a Northwest Territory Caribou Hunt
- Flying or Ice fishing
- Snowmobiling
- Take a boat trip around the Artic Circle and see some of the most amazing birds
- View performances of traditional native dancers and musicians
- Take an traditional excursions and go to small aboriginal communities
Now these are only a few of the things you can do while you are beyond the Artic Circle. Of course it is a little more chilly up north, but the fun part is doing activities that most people around the world have never experienced. Try something different and wander to the Northern parts of Canada.
