| INTRODUCTION:- |
| You don`t have to go to these lengths to find somewhere out of this World and not a million miles away, where you can, with a little help from this Site, find the perfect spot to give yourself a Holiday of a lifetime!!! |
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| WELCOME to the Travel Guide. The World, (and I mean this one!) is your oyster, but where to open it? This Site is designed to help you make your own choices based on my wide experience of travelling Europe and other more exotic climes. |
| You will find tips on when to go, where to go depending on what it is you`re looking for, and ways and means to avoid the pitfalls that await the traveller who is unprepared. The pages for each Country will give you brief glimpses of places my wife and I have visited and have come to love, and below is what to do BEFORE you leave home, so that you won`t be disappointed when you get there. Remember, leave your stress and worries at home, and don`t take them with you as excess baggage when you leave for a Holiday that will provide you with memories that will last a lifetime. We have always found that the more time you spend planning the Holiday and what to see and do when you get there reinforces the maxim, you only really get out of something what you are prepared to put in. So, make the effort to ensure that you see as much as you want, without trying to do too much, and leave time for those lazy afternoons with a siesta break, so then you will have the energy to go out for the evening, finding those off the beaten-track restaurants and tavernas and if you still have the energy, dance and wine until the small hours. After all, you won`t have to get up early the next morning, will you? Remember, a holiday is meant to be a complete break from your normal routine so don`t try and do or see EVERYTHING! On the other hand a little forward planning will ensure that you don`t miss a local Fiesta, Market or special area of interest right on your doorstep, which you only find out about when you are back home!!! Before you decide where to go, think of the journeytime involved. If you don`t like long drives in the car, then choose FlyDrive. Quite often these days with cheap Flights, it really makes sense to Fly and Hire a car when you arrive, thus cutting out 24 to 48 hours driving, with additional Hotel bills and you then arrive fresh and ready for your holiday, and not ready to crash out on your bed for the next day until you recover. If you go by long haul flight, consider the time of year you are travelling. What will the weather be like when you arrive? Is it the busiest time of the year or is it the off season or what is known as the shoulder season? If it is NOT the busiest time, then consider waiting until you arrive at your destination before hiring your car, it can work out cheaper. The exception is the USA where it is nearly always cheaper to pre-book in the U.K. and pay ALL the appropriate taxes before you go. The only tax you will NOT need if you have Annual or single trip Insurance, is what they call P.I.A. (Personal Insurance, i.e. health or accident cover). There is certainly no point in paying for it twice!! Think of what time is most convenient to depart, as well as the time you will then arrive at your resort. There is often a premium to pay for the daylight flight, or the Ferry between 10am and 5pm. Try and work around this, an early start can afford you good deals both with Airlines and Ferry Companies, and you can arrive that much earlier at your resort and "do" the local thing and have a siesta before dinner at night. Avoid the wee small hours of the morning, you will start off tired and arrive tired, even though you may have saved a bit on the fare - but at what cost? Don`t pack more than you need! Easier said than done, I know,but you really will not need all the stuff you think you will, and besides it will weigh a ton as you lug it from pillar to post to your eventual destination. And you will probably lug most of it all the way back home, unused and unpacked! Local laundries are generally available if not in the Hotel or apartment, then just around the corner at most places I have visited. If you want a good Hotel Booking Agency, then you could do no better than try Hotel Connect at Berkley House, 18-24, High Street, Edgware, HA8 7RP, (tel.no. 020-8381-2233 - see also their web site at www.hotelconnect.co.uk), and find out if the area you want to visit is covered by them. If it is, then I`m sure you will get a very good deal. Take detailed maps with you, the more detail the better. These and a good Guide Book will provide you with most of what you will need to know BEFORE you arrive and armed with a little local knowledge you will find your holiday all the more enjoyable. Besides the guide book will have a glossary of local phrases and advice of local delicacies and wines, etc. Don`t take lots of foreign currency or Travellers Cheques. I have always found that about £100 of the local money and a Credit Card are ALL that I have ever needed. The rate of exchange of the items paid for by Credit Card are at the much better Commercial Rate as opposed to the normal Tourist Rate of exchange and this more than offsets the small charge levied by most Credit Card Companies on each transaction. Some Companies, like Saga, do NOT charge for use in the Eurozone, whilst Nationwide do NOT charge for use of either their Credit nor Debit Card worldwide - , it may be worthwhile investigating. If you feel you would like additional local currency at any time then I would recommend you use your Bank Debit card in any of the A.T.M.`s that you will find just about everywhere now, (try ATM Locator) or (Using ATM`s abroad) and again the commerical rate of exchange will apply as opposed to the lesser Tourist Rate. Do avoid if you can withdrawing cash from your Credit Card Account as this will immediately attract interest from the date of withdrawal at a very high rate of interest! What I like to do is take another Credit Card hidden in a pouch on my person, so that in the unfortunate event of being mugged I will still have access to funds before a replacement can be got to me. In any event have sufficient Travel Insurance and Credit Card protection with someone like Sentinel, and you can rest easy that you have taken as much precaution as possible. Have a copy of the Insurance Schedule and a list of contact numbers with your Passports which you should lodge in the Hotel safe as soon as you arrive. Carry with you photo-copies of your Passport. Now have a look at the various places and Countries covered by this site and see if there is anything that appeals to you. Feel free to contact me by email if you would like me to elaborate on anything. |
| ANTIGUA: BELGIUM: CAYMAN ISLANDS: DENMARK: FRANCE: GREECE: HOLLAND: ITALY: JAMAICA: MALTA: MEXICO: NORTHERN CYPRUS: PORTUGAL: SPAIN (including the Balearics and Canaries): U.S.A. |
| TIPS & ADVICE |