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Lifestyle, Travel, Travel Adventures,

3 Adventure Travel Safety Tips

3 Adventure Travel Safety Tips

Thousands of people throughout the world today are considering adventure travel for several good reasons. Most of them want to simply discover the hidden secrets of a certain place, while others want to experience a new taste of culture and beliefs. They want to meet new people, learn a new language, or simply see the exotic flora and fauna of a certain place. There are others also who engage in adventure travel to discover themselves, their capabilities, and their limitations.

Although the reasons for considering adventure travel are good, we can deny the fact that tours and trips to mountains, rainforests, rivers, and even on-air are dangerous to some extent. Yes, they are exciting, but they can be dangerous as you have no control as to what will happen while on travel. Because of such fact, some sorts of safety preparations must be considered before the traveler departs from home. Doing some kind of homework before you leave can be a great move to take as it can help lessen the chances of mishaps to occur.

So when considering adventure travel with your peers, make sure that you are prepared enough for whatever is involved. Know the destination, the guides, and what you are about to do. Most of all, make sure that you know yourself.

 

Consider the Safety of Your Trip

When choosing adventure travel, one of the most important things that every traveler can to do to avoid dangers along the way is to research the destination and the trip. Know the level of your adventure, whether it is extreme or unusual, and think about the possible dangers associated with this kind of activity. Also, consider the tour guides but don’t think that because you have a tour guide, you’re safe. Well, that doesn’t apply all the time. Having a guide doesn’t eliminate the risk.

Understand that there several unexpected situations that your guides can’t control, no matter how powerful and strong they are don’t easily think that because you will be part of a group, you will be safe. Again, that’s not always true. So the best thing you can do now is to carefully research the company you will be dealing with, including their tour guides. Make sure that the company is responsible enough to handle every adventure. If you are not planning to use a tour guide or company make sure you do your research and be careful with your surroundings.

 

Know What to Do and What to Expect from Your Travel

Adventure travel is very demanding investment. So before you leave, be sure to know what to expect and what to do on your trip. You can ask about the foods and accommodations, the gender, age and interests of your fellow adventurers. Also, assess your skills. Also, make sure that you are physically and mentally ready for your adventure travel.

 

Know Yourself

Knowing oneself is by far the best thing that every person can do when considering adventure travel. So ask yourself if the activity you are considering is what you want. Also know your condition, whether you are fit enough or unfit for the adventure travel. Well, the best way to know your condition is to get medical advice from your doctor. Simply find out if adventure travel is best for you or not. If not, then look for an alternative, something that your health can tolerate.

Lifestyle, Travel, Travel Adventures,

How to Plan for Adventure Travel Tours

Planning is the first major step to take when considering adventure travel tours. Its importance basically lies in the fact that the way you plan determines the outcome of your experience. So if you plan your adventure travel tours properly and ahead of time, the result would be great and truly memorable. So, how to plan properly for adventure travel tours?

There are a lot of basic ideas to note when planning for your adventure travel tours. A few steps are mentioned below. If you want to know how you can obtain an ultimate adventure experience, then take note of the following:

 

Know what you want

Deciding on adventure travel tours can be one of the biggest decisions you can ever make in your whole life. So it is better to be sure and certain as to what you want or desire for your adventure travel tours. The key here is to know your desires. Ask yourself some questions. Think about your dreams, and how to make them happen. You might think of visiting Aspen and engage in its world-class skiing, or you might just want to stand in a line for a couple of hours just to see the Mona Lisa in Paris. The idea of a cruise to the Caribbean might also appeal to you, or you might want to whale watch in Maui, Hawaii or sightseeing in Barcelona. Indeed there are a lot of options available for your adventure travel tours and what you really desire is what will basically determine the outcome of your adventure. So simply know what you want and base your decision on that.

 

Do a Research

Photo of a Woman Thinking

If a trip to the Caribbean is the fulfillment of your dream, then there’s a possibility that you’ve been thinking about the place for a long time. Well, now is the right time to make it happen. But before you go for your adventure travel tours, try to do research about your trip first. This will surely prepare you and give you ideas ahead of time of what adventure travel tours can offer. Ask for recommendations, read magazines and books, or go online and ask the Chamber of Commerce of the place you are considering. Those basically are the right moves to take.

 

Think About the Budget

Black Calculator Near Ballpoint Pen on White Printed Paper

Your adventure travel tours can be expensive. So, before you engage in one, make sure that your pocket is big enough for the money challenge. Budget your adventure travel tours in advance and balance everything that is involved. Don’t forget to include travel insurance, gasoline costs, auto repairs, and other possible expenses to your budget.

 

Avoid Over Planning

Over planning means doing things that are not included in your original plan. Well, for some, this just imposes additional efforts and additional budget, which may ruin your entire adventure travel tours. So, before you go for your adventure travel tours, think about some possible extra activities that you might encounter in the way, like having a drinking spree with a couple you just met.

 

Enjoy and Relax

Person Laying On Sand

Adventure travel tours are designed for people to enjoy. So once you are on your way to an adventurous undertaking, then just enjoy the moment. Don’t pressure yourself. Do what you can only do and have a good time.

Business, Lifestyle, Travel, Uncategorized,

Your First Business Trip

The odd thing about business travel is to some extent, it is a mixture of what you know the very strange. The business you are going out to do you know how to do. Whether discussing a new business project, developing a software product or attending a seminar or conference, the business part of your business trip is probably not the hardest.

But if you are new to business travel, some aspects to it are very different from travel for leisure and ways to prepare for the trip that will make or break whether it goes well or you come home frustrated in your efforts. Just like any business venture, the keyword for success in this venture is preparation. Above all, have your business program well organized and ready to use when you get there. If you are giving a presentation, have it finished, the PowerPoint slides prepared and tested and all of your equipment ready to go when you set out. The sheer fact that you are prepared for the work you are going to this new city to do will relieve your tension tremendously. But preparation doesn’t stop just in planning for a successful business effort. Do your homework about the place you are going and how you will handle the trip once you get there. Here are some key things you should think well in advance to assure your trip goes well.

 

  • Your flight. As soon as you know your destination, book that flight. The earlier you nail that down, the more you know you will have a flight and that your choice of seats is assured. This can make business travel by air much less stressful.

 

  • Driving in a new town. If you are going to drive to a new town, be sure you have maps and know how to negotiate the roads. It’s a whole different world to drive in Boston compared to driving in Kansas City or Beijing to  Milwaukee. If you can avoid driving, make sure your ground transportation is arranged ahead of time. In some cities is better to use a taxi or public transportation.

 

  • Book your hotel well in advance to assure you will have a room when you get there. Only in situations where you are not sure where you will end up should you put this off. The last thing you want would be to need a room at 11 p.m. and everything in town is booked up.

 

  • Extraordinary needs. If you have medicines or other needs that are going to require special planning, get out ahead of that too. If there are business needs you will require upon your arrival, you can ship things ahead for yourself so that equipment is waiting in your destination office when you arrive.

 

  • Dealing with security. Remember that homeland security at airports is tight and the rules change from time to time. You can usually find the current restrictions and ways the airlines will allow you to travel on the internet. By knowing this in advance, you can avoid a lot of heartaches when you get to the airport.

 

  • You don’t want to have wads of cash with you when you travel but think ahead about how much cash and other monetary needs you should have. Travel with plenty of credit at your disposal. Emergencies on the road can be defrayed with good credit or you can find yourself in a real jam without it. If you are traveling overseas, become familiar with the monetary system you will be using there.

 

  • Things you take for granted. Little things mean a lot. If you have creature comforts you need in the hotel room, think about them and pack such things so you can feel as at home as possible. Something as small as your favorite pillow or a scented candle to relax you can make all the difference in your ability to rest and be ready for business the next day.

 

By doing plenty of good planning, you can assure yourself that you have what you need on the trip and nothing more. This will become more natural as you travel more. But take the time to prepare well and prepare early so as you venture forth on this big adventure, you know you have covered every base before you left home.

Lifestyle, Travel,

Travel tips to European Countries: Norway

Norway, a Nordic country lying on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula is located in Northern Europe. It also borders Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Russia. Norway is an outstandingly beautiful country with a long coastline, snowy mountains, and breathtaking fjords. Oslo is the capital of Norway and also the largest city. The other largest cities are Bergen and Trondheim. Norway is bestowed with lots of natural beauty encompassing wild forests, historic towns, and beautiful fishing villages. The country is very hospitable to tourists and people are very friendly too. Many tourists are attracted by the famous midnight sun of the Arctic and northern lights in Northern Norway. All three big cities of Norway offer different experiences to visitors. Norway is a place to be for nature lovers and for cultural enthusiasts. Norway is truly one of the greatest tourist destinations in Europe.

 

Population & Languages  

The population of Norway is only 4.6 million and the official languages being spoken are Bokmal Norwegian and Nynorsk Norwegian. Other languages that are also spoken in Norway include Sámi and Finnish.   Electricity   The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plugs used are Round pin attachment plug and “Schuko” plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

 

Geographic Location

It is a Nordic country lying on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula and located in Northern Europe. It also borders Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Russia. About two-third area of Norway is mountains, has around fifty thousand small islands along its coast. It also has one of the longest coastlines in the world.

Climate  

The climate of Norway can be termed as Temperate with hot summers and cold overcast winters. The highlands of interior Norway have an arctic-like climate with snow, severe wind chill and frost. Most of the rain is along with the coastal areas and comes down in winter quite heavily and frequently. Winters are mild too along with the coastal areas.

 

Local Customs  

Like any other country, Norway has its own customs too. It is customary not to drink until the host makes a toast. It is customary for guests to offer gifts to the host of a meal. Smoking is prohibited in most public areas. Casual dress is acceptable for everyday wear. Tipping taxi drivers is not customary. Tipping up to five percent is customary for service in restaurants. Porters at railway stations and airports charge per piece, while porters at hotels generally charge around NOK5-10 depending on the number of pieces of luggage.   The Norwegian currency is Kroner, most stores and restaurants do not accept Euro.

 

Attractions

Oslo – Old medieval buildings, churches, modern architecture, museums. Oslo Opera House, the Norwegian Folk Museum, art galleries, Vigeland Park, and Akershus Fortress.

Bergen – Numerous museums, galleries, aquarium, medieval age buildings, cable car to the top of Bergen’s hills and boat trips to fjords.

Fjordland – Geirangerfjorden is known for tiny S-shaped fjord, Sognefjord – the longest and the deepest fjord, beautiful villages such as Balestrand and Flam, old stave churches, Nærøyfjord – Narrowest branch of the Sognefjord and Plateau of Jostedalsbreen glacier   Tromsø – Arctic cathedral, Polaria, and Tromsø Museum

Aurora Borealis

Travel  

By Air – Many airlines operate to Norway like Braathens SAFE (BU) and SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK), a Scandinavian airline, Air France, British Airways, Finnair, Iceland Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryan air, and Swiss Airlines. Oslo International Airport (OSL) (Gardermoen) (website: www.osl.no) is the biggest airport in Norway which is located 30 miles north of Oslo.

Sea –The important passenger ports are Bergen, Kristiansand, Larvik, Oslo, and Stavanger. The main sea routes from the UK, operated by Fjord Line and DFDS Seaways respectively, are from Newcastle to Bergen and to Kristiansand.

By Rail – The country is part of the extensive network of trains connecting the European cities. If you are coming from the UK, the connections are from London via Dover/Ostend (via Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, and Sweden) or Harwich/Hook of Holland, or from Newcastle to Bergen via Stavanger. It is also connected to Sweden through two routes, with daytime and overnight trains from Copenhagen, Malmö, and Stockholm.

Duty-Free Items

  1. 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco products and 200 leaves of cigarette paper for EU countries.
  2. 400 cigarettes or 500g of tobacco products and 200 leaves of cigarette paper for Non-EU countries.
  3. 1liter of spirits and 1liter of wine or 2liter of wine and 2liter of beer for EU countries. 4. 1liter of spirits and 1liter of wine or 2liter of wine and 2liter of beer for Non-EU countries.
  4. 50g perfume or 500 ml eau de toilette
  5. Gifts, Food, fruits, medications and flowers for the personal use of value up to 3,500 kroner

 

Prohibited Items  

Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty percent alcohol.