Traveling Tips for Women Travelers in India

March 9th, 2010 — 02:00 pm
Traveling Tips For Women Travelers in India

India, a nation of unity in diversity, has myriad of rich history, culture, heritage, religions, traditions, cuisines and people. It is a magical domain and most people fall in love with this country as soon as they come here. Even after the modern influence of western countries, India still remains, somewhat, a conservative country. Some western habits are perceived as inappropriate and degrading if practiced by women here. Some travel tips for women travelers in India would make their trip more exciting and easy. Because of the social conservatism, it’s important that women travelers educate themselves to India’s social mores and culture to best prepare for a safe journey.

Women travelers in India should be extremely particular about their clothing, safety, packing , monetary matters, language and shopping. These tips will prove beneficial making your journey a lifetime experience. With regards to clothing tips for women travelers in India avoid wearing too revealing dresses. Low cut, tight-fitting shirts, tank tops, skirts that fall above the knees, shorts and bikinis are highly discouraged. While swimsuits can be worn in beach resort areas such as Goa, consider wearing a conservative one-piece and covering yourself with a sarong and t-shirt when you’re not sunbathing or when you are interacting with locals. Short sleeve cotton shirts can be worn in warmer climates but they should be loose fitting and not revealing. Observe the locals and dress a bit more conservatively than the most liberally dressed woman. You can incorporate some of the local dress into your outfits by shopping once you arrive in-country. Purchase a locally made blouse or delicate scarf or shawl to wear over your Western-style clothes.

Safety tips for women travelers in India should be of the prime concern. You should be alert of the opportunistic thieves. Your personal safety and the potential theft of your belongings should be taken care of. To prevent sexual harassment, keep your arms folded in front of you in large crowds and on public transportation. It’s best not to initiate conversations that could be construed as flirtatious or personal and sidestep answering personal questions about yourself. If you’re traveling alone or with a female friend, invent a husband and make it clear that you are not interested in anyone else. Avoid situations where you may find yourself alone with a man. When traveling on public transportation, lock your bags together with a cable lock and then to a stationary object such as a bench or immovable seat.

The lighter the bag, the lesser you sag ! Nothing new to say here except ‘Travel Light’. Yet, in your enthusiasm to have a weightless bag, do not throw out the essentials. Inclusion of sun screen lotion, sun glasses, umbrella, brimmed hats is important to guard you against sun tan. Also include eye patches, camera, water bottle, first aid kit. Pack your bag according to the region and climate you are traveling in. Your day bag may contain the essentials (camera, book, lip balm, tissues, pen, journal, light snack). A bag made of slash-proof material and strap is ideal.

While traveling, you should be sure that you are carrying your money safely. Though there are no such risks of people snatching your money, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Pouches that can be fastened with an attached belt to your waist and can also be worn under clothing are best. This is the most popular and safest way to carry money safely. Your money and other valuable documents like ATM cards, passports and credit cards also in the pouch should be kept hidden from others. Keep some loose change in your pockets for giving to beggars who might mob you. Do not flash rolls of currency notes in front of them. You can also lose the purse and carry a variety of currency options in at least two locations on your body.

With regards to lingua franca, for most parts of India you won’t really need to mug up any local lingo. Yet, if sometime you get stuck, Hindi should help you get going. It is spoken in fair parts of north India and understood in the west too. Down south is the domain of the Dravidian languages. It’s either English or a regional language that will do the trick. So, pick up some words in both Hindi and regional language and get going.

The shopping enthusiast women cannot resist the temptation of picking up the Indian expertises. The the Indian bazaars – a place that puts your temptation resistance skills at test, are stuffed with bright and beautiful things – handicrafts, silks, ethnic jewelry, curios and what have you. You can shop till you drop. But you should try to strike the best deal so do not hesitate to bargain. Be ready to pay additional customs and handling charges.

No place round the globe is that safe for women traveler but keeping these tips in mind, your trip to India will at least be unscathed and secure. Wear your smile and stick tight to your sense of humor with presence of mind. It will definitely help you through the multitudinous complexities that make up a trip to this fascinating region.



By: Manjari Singh

About the Author:

Manjari Singh is an eminent travel writer, she have authored websites like :

www.travellinginindia.com



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Comment » | Two Friends

Ten Top Travel Tips

March 9th, 2010 — 07:33 am
For the modern traveller, the world is your oyster. Okay, maybe you’re not prioritising a summer visit to currently war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq or Sudan. Likewise, tales of drug-trafficking, kidnapping and armed muggings might put you off a two-week sojourn in Venezuela or Colombia. But perhaps you are considering something a little more off the beaten track – a holiday that will test your nerves a little, or that will embed you in a completely different culture or environment?

Many a modern traveller now explores further afield, with Australasia, South America, Asia and Africa proving very popular for those with an adventurous spirit (who don’t mind long plane journeys). But for any such trips, there are known – and unknown – dangers that you may want to research before you leave. Visit Australia and you’ll probably be bombarded by people listing its dangerous creatures – box jellyfish, crocodiles, redback spiders, taipan snakes, sharks, and so on – together with a litany of tales surrounding those backpackers who never came back… But go to ’safe as houses, no dangerous animals/plants here’ New Zealand and you may not realise that its capital city, Wellington, sits on a major earthquake fault line that is well overdue a ‘big one’!

Indeed, in a Norwich Union survey of last year, several places were highlighted as potential danger areas, including Thailand, Mexico and South Africa, where illness, accidents and crime are common. Again, not terribly surprising, perhaps, but did you know that travellers to Mexico made the most number of claims to the insurance company for overexposure to the sun? Probably not.

The findings also mentioned the Caribbean as the worst area for travellers to suffer insect bites and stings, and even Spain and the Canaries hit the list, for possible robberies and pick pocketing.

Even if you deal with all the insects, robbers, earthquakes, illnesses, hungry sharks and venomous snakes, you may still get in your car and crash. In fact, the most likely way for holidaymakers to meet misfortune is on the road, with 15 million people a year injured worldwide in traffic-related accidents. Remember that terrifying taxi journey on the way to your hotel last year? Yes, most of us can recall at least one terrifying car journey in our search for that holiday magic.

But don’t worry, BeatThatQuote.com is here to help address all your holiday concerns (both those that you knew about as well as the ones we’ve just got you worried about). With these travel tips, you can be sure you’re making the right preparations for a safe and happy trip, no matter how adventurous you are feeling:

1. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office website is a great source of information on safe/dangerous destinations, as well as general travel advice. Well worth a look if you’re planning to backpack round the world.

2. Do not forget or skimp on your travel insurance. Get travel insurance and check that the cover is appropriate for your destination and planned activities abroad. Also ensure it covers any health issues you might have. According to recent research, 15% of British people risk going abroad without any kind of travel insurance – considering an air ambulance from the east coast of the US might set you back £30,000, it is really a risk you don’t want to take.

3. If you are planning to hire a car or you are taking your car with you, check you are covered for accidents and/or breakdowns. Don’t assume your UK car insurance will cover you for driving overseas – it might not protect you for anything more than road traffic accidents.

4. Check what vaccinations you need at least six weeks before you go and consider whether you need to take extra health precautions. Ensure you have sufficient medical insurance cover for your chosen destination, especially if you have any pre-existing health conditions.

5. You will probably be leaving your home empty while you are away – ensure you have got/renewed your home insurance in the event of anything happening while you holiday. Also consider asking a neighbour to pop in/water the plants every now and again to ensure your house looks occupied.

6. Get a good guidebook and get to know your destination. Find out about local laws and customs.

7. Make sure you take all documentation with you, including your passport, necessary visas, and insurance documents. Make copies and store separately just in case you lose anything.

8. Check your bank cards. Do you know how much you will be charged for using your cards abroad? It might also be worth telling your bank or credit card provider about your trip. With fraud on the rise, some card providers/banks will stop your card if they see unusual/unexpected spending. A phonecall will remedy this situation but it’s just another holiday ‘downer’ you can avoid.

9. Take enough money for your trip and some back-up funds, for example, travellers cheques, sterling or US dollars.

10. And if you’re going for a long trip of several months or more, just don’t forget your responsibilities at home, including your mortgage. Budget carefully and ensure you can cover all your payments both at home and abroad.

Once you have done all of this, all you need do is pack your bags and go. It might be a scary world out there, but with a bit of forethought, there’s a whole lot of opportunity for adventure too. Have fun!



By: Caroline Poynton

About the Author:

Caroline Poynton is a financial journalist and writes for Beat That Quote on all loans, travel insurance and personal finance topics.



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Comment » | Chyulu Hills

Online Travel Information

March 4th, 2010 — 02:05 pm
Internet has become a marvelous source for getting information on any and every thing. Travel is no different. Today, if someone wants to plan their holidays, they just have to sit in front of computer comfortably for few minutes and the entire job is done. Not only the travel information is easily available, but holiday packages and tickets for either airplane or train can be booked. All you need to do is to decide the destination where you want to travel and then search their ways and routes online. You can also have the idea of the number of places to go at the place where you are going such as temples, monuments, buildings, museums etc.

On watching the pictures of the famous places where you are planning to go, it becomes easier to understand the location scenario through their glimpse. You can also thing of hiring a travel agent from a reputed travel agency online, so that you might not miss any spot of the destination. But this should be taken care that a travel agent or guide must be hired from some reputed organization so that they don’t mislead you, if you have no idea about the place where you are planning to go.

Searching online for the traveling information is safe because it gives you the correct idea of the location and people out there. They tell you specialties of places and give you the reason to visit that place. For further travel assistance, you can also search for a travel packages, which will take care of everything such as flight and hotel booking, sight seeing, schedule planning etc They can also take care of the food and all, depending on the package. Hence, giving you a feeling of security and tension-free mind, you can just pack your bags and get ready for a beautiful holiday.

Thus, internet is a complete solution to give you a luxurious and memorable travel experience at peace of mind.



By: Roberto Luongo

About the Author:

Myself webmaster of http://www.tour-travel-portal.info/ which is a tour & travel directory that provide all information about the travelling, here you can find complete travel information, and list of luxury travel tour operators with online tour travel guides for you.



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Comment » | Pony

Going to AUSTRALIA next year, can anyone recommend?

March 4th, 2010 — 06:53 am
jessicacalvey asked:


im going in september for 3 weeks and plan to see melbourne, brisbane, sydney and queensland!
Can you recommend anywhere to go in these places or recommend any other cities i should visit?
Thanks in advance!

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4 comments » | Costa Teguise

5 Argentina Travel Tips for the Foreign Study Traveler

March 3rd, 2010 — 10:53 pm
Have you ever thought of hopping a plane for spring break in Argentina? Maybe you want to study Spanish in Buenos Aires or learn the Tango in Mendoza? Too difficult, you say? No way, but there are a few things you need to know when traveling abroad. Take advantage of the following top five travel tips for your next trip to Argentina and make it an experience to remember.

1. PASSPORTS – Argentina visitors that are citizens of the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will require a passport for entry. US Passport applications can be obtained at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html, with routine services taking up to 10-12 weeks from the date you applied. A Visa is not required for a tourist stay up to 90 days, for longer stays contact your local embassy for information. In the U.S. — Contact the Consular Section of the Argentine Embassy, 1718 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202/238-6460). For more information, try http://www.uic.edu/orgs/argentina. In Canada — Contact the Embassy of the Argentine Republic, Suite 910, Royal Bank Center, 90 Sparks St., Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5B4 (tel. 613/236-2351; fax 613/235-2659). In the U.K. — Contact the Embassy of the Argentine Republic, 65 Brooke St., London W1Y 4AH (tel. 020/7318-1300; fax 020/7318-1301; seruni@mrecic.gov.ar).

2. CURRENCY – The current exchange rate is 3 to 1 for the US dollar to the Argentina Peso. The Peso is made up of 100 centavos. Money is denominated in notes of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pesos; and coins of 1, 2, and 5 pesos, and 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavos. US dollars are widely accepted in Buenos Aires, but in the rural areas of the country pesos are the currency of choice and exchange locations are less abundant. American Express traveler’s checks can be exchanged at offices located in Buenos Aires at Arenales 707 (tel. 11/4130-3135), Bariloche, Salta, San Martan, and Ushuaia. Outside of these locations there are very few American Express exchange offices, so when traveling to remote locations be sure to plan ahead. Many of the hotels do not accept credit cards, so check in advance before you assume you can pay your bill that way.

3. CAR RENTALS – Argentines drive very fast in comparison to U.S. drivers and do not always obey traffic lights or lanes. The seat belt law is in effect, though few locals actually wear them. U.S. driver’s licenses are valid in greater Buenos Aires, but you need an Argentine or international license to drive in most other parts of the country. When driving outside the city, remember that autopista means motorway or highway, and paso means mountain pass. It is not advised to drive in rural areas at night as cattle roam free and are hard to see in the dark. Fuel is about $1 per liter, or $4 per gallon. Car rentals are available at Hertz, Paraguay 1122 (tel. 800/654-3131 in the U.S., or 11/4816-8001 in Buenos Aires); Avis, Cerrito 1527 (tel. 800/230-4898 in the U.S., or 11/4300-8201 in Buenos Aires); Dollar, Marcelo T. de Alvear 523 (tel. 800/800-6000 in the U.S., or 11/4315-8800 in Buenos Aires); and Thrifty, Av. Leandro N. Alem 699 (tel. 800/847-4389 in the U.S., or 11/4315-0777 in Buenos Aires). Car rentals are more expensive in Argentina with compacts starting at $50 to $60 per day, ask for special promotions.

4. ELECTRICITY – Electricity in Argentina runs on 220v. Most U.S. laptops run on either 110v or 220v, check yours to determine which one you have. A transformer and a European style adapter will be necessary for any other small appliances. While most luxury hotels will have these items for your use, some smaller or rural hotels will not. Cyber cafes called “Locuturios” are common in Buenos Aires and other major cities, where you can connect for an average of $1.00US per hour.

5. SEASONS – While those of us here in the Northern Hemisphere are used to the seasons that we have come to know, you must remember that things are in reverse south of the equator. The summer months in Argentina are December thru February, perfect for a trip to Santa Cruz. However, Buenos Aires has a very hot, humid summer so it is therefore better to visit in the spring and fall (November or March). If winter sports are what you are looking for, then the winter months of June thru October would be when to plan your next trip.

These tips will certainly give you a leg up when planning a trip to exotic Argentina. Traveling to a foreign county does require a little effort, but the experiences you will gain will last a lifetime. The world is such a global community that visiting and understanding another country’s culture only brings people closer together.

Argentina is waiting for you, start planning your trip today?



By: Casey Markee

About the Author:

Casey Markee is a consultant with GIC Argentina a study Spanish in Argentina program provider. Visit them online for detailed information on Spanish study abroad programs in Argentina and plan your next trip to Buenos Aires, Patagonia or Mendoza today.



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Comment » | Travel Arrangements

turkey on sunday?

March 2nd, 2010 — 08:34 pm
xxlauraxxox asked:


headn to turkey on suday a place called gumbet has any1 ever been??any advice or travel tips would be nice tanks…its jus a me and my boyfriend

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4 comments » | Turkey

Root Beer do Americans relay like it?

March 2nd, 2010 — 07:02 pm
Greybeard asked:


I was most disapointed when I tried it the first time I visited the U.S.A. it tastes like Germolene cream!

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5 comments » | Beer, Wine Spirits

Self Catering Holidays In Lanzarote

February 23rd, 2010 — 08:44 am

Lanzarote is an ideal location for anyone planning a self catering holiday in the sun.  As this small Canary Island offers great value accommodation, excellent weather and an abundance of good restaurants.

Lanzarote is one of the seven Canary Islands – which belong to Spain despite their location off the coast of Morocco.  As a result first time visitors will find that the customs and cuisine here are much as they are on the mainland.  Whilst the weather if anything is even better as the islands are much further south than the Iberian Peninsula.

Lanzarote´s appeal has also been boosted in recent years by the availability of more cheap flights.  And it’s now possible to get to the island for as little as £100 return with operators such as easyJet and Ryanair.  With a flight time of just four hours from all major UK airports.

The rise in internet usage has also created a new type of tourist who no longer needs the services of a travel agent as they can build and book their own holidays online.  Creating more demand for self catering accommodation such as apartments and villas in Lanzarote.

The bulk of the best accommodation can be found in the two larger resorts of Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, which are both located on the islands south eastern shoreline.

Puerto del Carmen is the spot where tourism on Lanzarote first started and the resort was built on apartment accommodation, with complexes dominating many of the prime spots.  This level of competition impacts on prices and makes it relatively cheap to book Lanzarote apartments – with prices starting at around €180 per week.

The best villa deals can be found in Playa Blanca down at the southern end of the island.  Where there is a large supply of private rental accommodation available from as little as €350 per week.  All villas in Playa Blanca boast private pools and most also enjoy great views down to the Atlantic and across to the island of Fuerteventura.

For anyone seeking to escape the main resorts there are also plenty of accommodation options in the countryside, as rural tourism has grown enormously in recent years.  Today visitors can choose to stay in an eco friendly finca or a chic rural hotel.  With some of the best accommodation to be found in little villages such as Yaiza and Haria.

Comment » | Islas Canarias

from Brussel to Liege?

February 22nd, 2010 — 12:37 pm
Knows nothing asked:


i want to take a train from Brussel to Liege on January 22nd 2009.
i tried to see the tickets online but appearantly they have a 31 days policy for the ticket purchase which will make me wait until december 21 2008.
anyway, the question is:
- what is the official site to book a Belgium train ticket?
- is the station in Brussel far from the Eurostar station?
- how much time it takes to get to Liege?
- any travel tips are also appreciated.
thanks all.
cheers.
Old know all: 2 things please:
1- did you mean that i can buy a ticket to liege from brussel station on the same day from the same price online ?
2- did you mean that my same day eurostar ticket is valid from brussel to liege on the same day?

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4 comments » | Belgium

Info About Hiring A Car

February 21st, 2010 — 07:35 am

 

It is common for people to think they understand what car hire is all about. It is only when things go wrong that people realize how little they know about car hire. This article gives you a few tips to think about when hiring a car.

The first thing to think about is the size of the car as this will impact greatly on fuel costs and consumption. The number of people who will be using the car and for what purpose should also brought into consideration. If it’s going to be two to four people using the car for simple travel purposes then cars in the small range can be considered. They are cheaper and low on fuel consumption.

The kind of roads that you will be using, If you are going to be traveling long distances on rough terrain then go for a high suspension car. Another thing is if you can schedule your journey to be mid-week then it’s better than over the weekend or holidays. Different rates apply for the week days and the weekends.

It maybe time consuming but please do read the rental lease agreement closely and in detail. Each agency has its own set of rules that are different from those of another. The lease agreement is a legal document and if anything goes wrong you cannot say that you did not know.

One thing that should pay particular attention to is the clause regarding who is eligible to drive the vehicle. Extra drivers can be put on the lease but for an extra fee. There are terms and conditions that also apply to traveling with minors.

You could actually pick from any one of the following reputable car hire agencies: budget car rental cape town south africa car hire bloemfontein airport car rental rondebosch

When renting a car make sure you understand the risk that you carry and the risk that is covered by the car rental company. It is always better to be sure than to assume.

Comment » | Uncategorized

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