Travel and tips

Russia might not be a good choice for most travelers who want to visit Europe. With its questionable peace and order situation particularly in the regions of Chechnya, the Communist rule impression still resides to most, and frigid climate throughout the country especially during the winter, Russia should be uninviting for most. But that was before. Now, although there are still shadows of the past Soviet, Russia is a place worth to be visited.
Travelers would not be disappointed with several historical sites that tell how rich Russia’s culture is. There are several museums, monuments, and untouched nature.
Cheap travel to RussiaVisiting Russia can be very expensive considering the distance of country. But with several online travel companies, the price tag is significantly lower that it was before.
To get affordable and cheap travel to Russia, all you have to do is to check the websites specializing on cheap tours. There are available travel tours and packages for group and family who decide to make a stop to Russia.
About RussiaWhile Moscow and St. Petersburg are the primary cities of the country, Russia has several side countries to discover. Be careful though when traveling. Make sure you know very well the places you are planning to visit.
You might have a little trouble communicating with locals especially if you are away on these two cities. But if you can understand the Russian language, you wont be having any problem.
Russia is a big country. In fact, it is the largest country in the world with a size twice as much as the United States. It spans from Europe to Asia and is divided into 11 time zones.
Climate has been the major issue of those who plan to travel Russia- that is if you will go to the Siberian region. Most people visit Russia when winter ends. It is usually for May- September. Unlike the usual impression, summer is perfect during these times.
Safety tipsWhen you decide to travel to Russia, learn as many things as possible. Know the language, the people, the culture, how to get around, and especially- know where the U.S. Embassy is located.
When you pack, pack light. Avoid carrying too much cash and expensive jewelry. Never show your wallets in public. Use money belt that can be worn around your neck. It is safer than wallet. Be vigilant when in crowded places like public markets, public transport, and tourist sites among others. Be aware of pickpockets at all times.
If you are going from point to point, do not hail on unmarked taxis and cars. Likewise, never share taxi to other people you do not know. If you are planning to travel by bus or train, take extra precaution.
If you are planning to drink on public places, make sure you have someone who remains sober. Any sign of intoxication might attract professional robbers and thieves.
Make sure other people back at home know your itineraries and contact numbers and numbers of your travel document such as your passport before leaving. If something wrong happens, they would know where to find you. Make enough photocopies of your plane tickets, passport, visa, and all your travel documents. Leave a copy at your home or to someone you know.
Check for travel warning and avoid the regions of Ingushetia, North Caucasus of Chechnya, eastern and southern parts of Stavropol Krii, and Dagestan. These places could be dangerous for tourist.
Avoid drinking tap water. Instead drink bottled water. If there is no available bottled water, boil the water first before drinking.
All these could help you make it through your Russian trip safely.

- Plan your vacations on off seasons, Hotel rates, even airline and car rental rates are lower during this time due to lower demand. You can get as much as a 50% discount if you book a room during off season, so try and call the hotel if they have off season discounts and ask them when the discounts will be effective.
- Some hotels give discounts to certain people like students, military contingents, Senior citizens, honeymooners etc. Ask for these discounts and what their details, you can save a lot with these.
- Ask if your kids can stay for free, if you’re with your family, sometimes hotels can allow up to two kids for a two bed room provided that the kids are within the age limit.
- If you’re not very particular with hotel locations, you can access name-your-price websites for car rentals and hotel reservations. They’ll do the haggling for you and you’re sure not to over-budget.
- Some hotels and even car rental companies, give “free days” if you use their services for more than a week. Ask about these certain perks if you’re planning a long stay.
- Make sure that the room fees are the only ones you’re paying for. Some hotels have surcharges and extra fees that aren’t mentioned in room rates and then suddenly pop-up on check-out. Before you reserve, ask about these, and if upon check-out you suddenly find yourself with fees that you didn’t know about, refuse to pay it.
- You can also exchange frequent Flier miles for hotel lodgings so if you have an expiring miles card, or a miles card that you’d just want to get rid of, ask the hotel if they honor these exchanges.
- Sometimes, hotels provide free airport pick-up you can use this as bargaining tool. Ask for a free pickup when haggling so you’ll get something extra even if you pay the full price.
- If you’re planning to travel during peak season, always call in advance, rates tend to get higher as the season approaches.
- Sometimes, weekend rates are lower than regular fees, or vice versa, ask your agent, or ask the hotel yourself if they have these, then you can schedule your trip during these times and be able to avail of the discount.
- Always ask for a confirmation number when you reserve a room, so that they can’t say that they didn’t receive your reservation.

Las Vegas, like any touristy type city has their share of great deals at great prices. The great deals however are also limited to certain days of the week or month. This is not to say that Las Vegas isn’t a great place to be anytime. The lower rates are like many in many areas, available in low season when there are fewer visitors. Low season in Las Vegas is typically during the week. Most hotels have a Tuesday thru Thursday, daily rate that is ridiculously low. If you’re interest is in enjoying one of the premier properties in Las Vegas, then consider the mid week getaway deals. During these mid week times, you can book and reserve a room in hotels like Treasure Island, Luxor, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and many more top Las Vegas hotel destinations at a substantial discount. Occupancy is what the hotel is looking to achieve so the more people going, the lower the daily rate. So check around and see what kind of deals can be found using local and web based travel agents. Some travel agents specialize in Las Vegas tours and act as consolidators, booking blocks of rooms and travel arrangements. Don’t let the word “tour” discourage you however. Tour in this case in nothing more than a designation of a group of people going to a common location. This is not like a sightseeing type of tour where someone will take a group around the city to see the sights. This is just a group of people who are traveling at the same time to the same destination city and usually staying at the same hotel accommodation. If you’re looking to visit Vegas during the high season, which is Friday thru Sunday, the strategy to snag a cheap Las Vegas hotel needs to change a little. As always, it pays to plan ahead. Don’t go during a busy weekend when major conventions are in town. The rates are high and stay that way for everyone. Still, the way to lower hotel costs is your membership in other groups. The automobile club, American Association of Retired Persons, or even your employer may have discounted rates established at many of Las Vegas nicest resorts.
Another way to save big is to stay longer. That’s right, staying longer usually gets a better rate than a one or two night stay. Remember to always ask when booking. Las Vegas always have tourists coming and going. Although many 4 and 5 star hotels will have higher rates, remember to look for discount packages and stay awhile longer. These are your best bet to find the cheapest rates and the nicest places.

Straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey was the junction between civilisations, crucial in the development of history itself since biblical times; Anatolia has played a major part in the history of civilisation.
Golden beaches, ancient history, and mouth-watering cuisine all await you. Pick a modern beach resort brimming with top-class entertainment, or perhaps a tranquil bay. Alternatively take to the seas and see Turkey on a relaxing cruise.
Gulet cruising sailing for a week or two along the coast with a crew, enjoying the adventure and romance of the ocean. Cruise and Stay Spend a week on the open water followed by a stay at a beach resort or vice versa.
Twin Centres give you the best of both worlds, for example combine an Aegean coastal experience with a stay relaxing at a hotel resort and spa.
Historical and Coach Tours will give you the option to see some the of Turkey’s most famous natural and historical sights.
City breaks to Istanbul are a great way to sample the exotic atmosphere. Beaches in Turkey are it’s most popular attraction - come and see why!Turkey Holidays: Endless attractions…
Ancient sights of epic proportions await you on the Aegean Coast. Visit beautiful Pamukkale, a petrified limestone waterfall or some of the world’s best preserved ruins at Ephesus. From Altinkum make the trip to the Temple of Apollo where you will be awe-struck by the sheer size of the still upright columns not to mention the ingenuity of the ancient civilisations.
Turkey Holidays…and time to unwind.
Wherever you stay you will be presented with tempting sandy beaches, perhaps the most famous of which being Olu Deniz. The white sand beach and beautiful blue lagoon have been designated a National Park. Once you have had your fill of sun and sand, relax with a visit to Dalyan’s famous mud baths and sulphur springs or if you’re brave try a Turkish bath for the ultimate local experience. To top it all Turkey offers some excellent shopping opportunities - it’s a wonder how you’ll fit it all in.
Why Holidays in Turkey? Because Turkey is the one of the cheapest Mediterranean holiday destination. It is quite easy to book cheap holidays to Turkey especially if you grab the bargains on Teletext Holidays to Turkey or on the web. It Is possible to get thousands of pounds value of package less than couple of hundreds.

By Mridu SinhaDecember 2, 2005Take a trip to vibrant, colourful India for the holiday of a lifetime! Book your discounted air fares on line now and receive discounts immediately! Fly into the main hubs of Delhi or Mumbai and then take connecting flights or trains into the rest of India. Rail travel in India has never been more comfortable with most services offering the traveller a choice of First & Second Class, air-conditioned sleeperettes with en-suite bathroom and a personal butler service. Prices are still low so getting around India is a very viable option. India, being a diversified land of many cultures, religions and hospitality, has always been the first choice for tourists looking for that little bit extra the world over. Romantics will adore visiting the glorious Taj Mahal in Agra, a grand marble monument dedicated to the memory of a great love to neighbouring pink city of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur where you can stay in the wondrous floating palace! See the stunning yellow domes of the Golden Temple in Amritsar and enjoy the fresh, hot ‘halwa’ which is generously distributed to all worshippers daily. India is not just a land of sights and wonders. It also offers fantastic, white sand beaches and an excellent variety of water sports and speciality massages. From hot stone therapy to cold mud body packs to hot oil being slowly dripped on your forehead in Kerala, there really is no place quite like India. India has many travel holiday packages to offer. The capital of India, New Delhi, is a green, clean city with many famous tourist sights including the Lotus Temple, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Qutub Minar and the India Gate (reminiscent of the Parisian Arc de Triomphe). The bloom seasons of February and March make Delhi vibrant, colourful and aromatic. Go further west and modern and fabulously rich Mumbai’s stock market and Mahalakshmi racecourse can make you a millionaire overnight. The Juhu Beach, Fashion Streets, Elephanta Caves, Marine Drive, Gateway of India and Flora Fountain are its major attractions. Enjoy the throbbing pace of the Mumbai nightlife where bumping into a celebrity or two is part of the norm! QUICK OVERVIEW:AHMEDABAD:A variety of habitats coastlands, islands, saline desert plains, forests, hills, lakes, grasslands combined with a location on the migratory route of birds from Europe and West Asia has made Ahmedabad one of the most prolific bird watching areas in all of Asia. HYDERABAD:Hyderabad is known for its rich history and culture with monuments, mosques, temples, a rich and varied heritage in arts, crafts and dance. CHENNAI:Particularly charming features of Chennai are its allegiance to ancient traditions. BANGALORE:The flirtatious city of Bangalore can never stop wooing the people. It is known as the Silicon Valley of India. KOLKATA:Kolkata, India’s largest city is now a busy & flourishing city, the centre of cultural as well as political and economic life.
The cheapest flights to New Delhi, Mumbai and various other cities of India are available by online booking at “http://www.ticketstoindia.co.uk”. It offers air tickets to India top destinations at extremely competitive rates as well as regular discounts and special offers. Trips to India will always continue to be the best option for your Indian vacations. We can also cater for all your Wedding needs. Want to get married like a Rajah or Rani on horse or even elephant back? Want to get married by the sandy shores of Goa whilst flower maidens scatter rose petals at your feet? Amazing wedding packages are now available in India and will leave lasting memories for you and your guests!

Every one of us dreams of traveling by airplane and view the beauty of the world from the aerial view. There are many variants when it comes to air traveling, some of them were developed by freight or for commercial and company use.
Why choose travel by air?Obviously one of the problems by land is lack of space. Meaning thousands of motorists traveling everyday and it seems that this will cause a time delay if you are heading to an important appointment. For busy people the time factor is very important.
It is also a know n fact that traveling by air is much faster than its alternatives. We can assume that people traveling by air are those who have important things to do, like businessperson, authors, diplomats, travelers, government officials and some other important persons.
If you are planning to travel by plane with a large number of friends and relatives to go to a far place and you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of transferring from one bus to another, air travel is the solution.
Evidently, the most interesting spatial characteristics of an airport are its setting and relativisation of the social life implied by air travel.
Cheap flight on the wayAlways put up with in mind that cheapest does not always mean the best. For instance, a courier flights may be cheaper than the student fare but restrictions and limitations can affect you personally.
Some times traveling thru a weekdays is unlike from the weekends. At times also staying one day or less or more could affect the fare price. Some airlines cut off their flights. Some of them scheduled it in every month and then two months.
It would be cheaper to flight from one airplane then transfer to another rather than having a flying directly towards the destination.
Fares depend on who the traveler is or his/her status. As much as traveler’s status is concern nowadays, the following people are the one entitled to discounts with some airlines, like students, young children, disabled persons, and senior citizens.
Consulting an airline agent will be a great help to the passengers; it will surely be able to cover up all the issue and thoughts running in your mind about the flight. You can also bargain with the agent to have a good deal with them.
Getting a flight and paying little is a tough job. It maybe concluded that that there are so many considerations and options in choosing cheap air flight whether local or overseas. Finding for cheaper ways to travel by air is not that easy. It will need to take a lot of time and patience.
Just remember this that there is no charge to consult a travel agent. It would be better to find someone who can suggest you of those travel journals in order for you to know what would fits your needs.
Travel agents will provide the best costumer service, full practical advice, and will assist you finding the information on cheap airfares when you need to travel. You also need to know information about last minute flight, hostel memberships, rail passes and hotel reservation.

Don Nadeau, the president of BidonTravel.com, often discusses how to bid on Priceline hotels, but here he talks about location as another powerful way to save on hotel rooms.

When you’re planning to spend some time in or near a place like Boston, Zurich, London, or San Francisco, you can save by not staying in the same hotel every night.

And, even if you’re just spending a couple of nights, you can sometimes save as much as 50 – 70% by choosing the right hotel location, as explained below.

Let’s say you’re a couple planning a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area for a special occasion.

You would like to spend the week:

• visiting wineries,
• hiking in Point Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods,
• exploring Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey, and
• experiencing the highlights of San Francisco.

It would be simple for you to book seven nights in a San Francisco hotel. After all, you would be within an easy day’s drive of everything you want to see.

However, seven nights in a San Francisco hotel would be expensive—and even more so as you probably want an especially nice place for this trip. And, on top of that, you would have to pay about $30 – 45 a day for parking in a safe area.

Instead, why not spend the first three nights closer to the Wine Country and the national seashore?

You could book a very nice resort-style hotel in or near Santa Rosa for a fraction of the cost of a similar hotel in San Francisco.

You would end up really close to many of the finest Napa Valley wineries, the Calistoga hot springs spas, and even the exceptional restaurant of the Culinary Institute of America. Moreover, you’d be just a few minutes from beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore.

Then, after your last night in Santa Rosa, you could enjoy a scenic drive along the Marin County coastline toward San Francisco, with stops in charming Sausalito and the redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument before heading over the Golden Gate Bridge.

That night, you could even end up dining at one of the many fabulous San Francisco restaurants using money you’d saved on hotels! You’d be staying in San Francisco two nights.

After your last night in San Francisco, you wouldn’t need to head out right away. You could still spend most of the day exploring the city.

Then, timing your drive before or after any rush hour traffic, you could take scenic southbound Interstate 280, which runs in a greenbelt along a ridge, giving you views of San Francisco Bay. Near San Jose, you’d switch to State Highway 85 and then U.S. 101, and continue toward Carmel and Monterey.

In the Carmel and Monterey area, you would have a choice:

1. You could either use some of your hotel savings to stay in a fantastically romantic place, such as the Tickle Pink Inn along the shore, or
2. continue to save by booking a quality place inland.

For the latter, the ultimate hotel money saver in the Carmel and Monterey area is the nearby town of Salinas.

The Grapes of Wrath no longer haunt John Steinbeck’s Salinas. It’s become a pleasant working-class town with a center city that people enjoy in the evening.

Salinas puts you a mere 25 minutes from Carmel, but in a different price range altogether.

So, what have you done here? You’ve had three nights in Santa Rosa, two in San Francisco, and two in the Monterey area.

Not only have you saved a lot on hotels—even if you splurged in Carmel—you’ve also saved a lot of time commuting from a San Francisco hotel. This is time you’ve been able to use visiting fun and memorable places, rather than on the road.

When saving money helps you have a better vacation, you have travel savings at its finest.

Songkran will be celebrated from 13 – 15 April in 2008 (or 2551 on the Thai calendar) and usually runs for about a week unofficially in parts of Bangkok and Pattaya. Thai people know how to party and celebrate their own New Year, Chinese New Year and the Western New Year. Of the three, Songkran is the wildest.
Depending on who you ask, Songkran is the best or the worst time of year to be on vacation. The main reason – water. Traditionally, Songkran is a water festival and celebrated by ‘sprinkling” water on other people. In tourist areas of Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket, the sprinkling has escalated to fire hoses, water tube blasters, and super-soakers. Drunken tourists and locals in Pattaya and on Khaosan Road in Bangkok take this festival as a time to get absolutely crazy and drench each other in water. Additionally, a white paste made from flour or talcum powder is smeared on unwitting people’s faces.
If you are in a tourist area or even in an upcountry village during Songkran, you can expect to get wet. The more touristy the area, the wetter you will get. Being soaked and then going into an air conditioned bar or restaurant can be very uncomfortable and could lead to a nasty cold. There is also the possibility of infection as the water is not always clean.
I am not trying to throw a damper on a New Year celebration; I am just trying to let people know that they can expect to see a lot of drunken tourists getting soaking wet during this festival. You can have a lot of fun, but you can see tourists at their absolute worst.
Getting back to the real meaning of Songkran, it is a time to go to the temple to pray and give food to the monks. It is also a time to cleanse the Buddha images at their household shrines and at the monasteries with water and a pleasant fragrance. This is also a traditional time to make resolutions to do good deeds and refrain from evil and even a time to clean the house. Out with the old and in with the new.
Sadly, it is also the worst time of year for road accidents and deaths on the highway. Wet roads, alcohol, and helmetless motorcycle drivers are a deadly combination. Despite the government’s best efforts, the number of revelers who don’t get to the New Year is way too high each year. The annual Songkran don’t drink and drive campaign usually falls on deaf ears.
Many expats who live in Thailand leave the country or head north to quieter Songkran celebrations and leave the tourist areas to the tourists. Personally, I schedule my trips so that I am nowhere near Thailand during New Years.
As are most other things in Thailand, it is “up to you” whether you want to experience Songkran. I would recommend seeing it at least once and then you can determine for yourself if you want to go back to do it again.
If you go, be careful or the slick roads and drunk drivers, and make sure you bring plenty of zip-lock bags to keep your valuables dry.

In 2008, Loy Krathong will be celebrated on November 13th. If you search on the Internet, you may find the date listed as the 12th, 24th, or even the 27th. From everywhere I searched, the consensus is the 13th of November. You may also find different spellings with different phonetics – like Loi Kratong.
Loy Krathong is probably the best holiday festival to attend. You can celebrate it wherever you are in Thailand. The Thai people dress in traditional outfits and it is a party that lasts all night long.
In Thai, loy means float and krathong is a small boat or raft about the size of your hand. Companies and businesses may make them larger but for the individual person a small float about 6 to 8 inches around is normal.
They are usually made from banana leaves folded in intricate patterns and carry flowers, candles and incense. It is believed that floating your krathong will bring you good luck and some believe it is an offering of respect to the goddess of the water.
According to legend, in the 13th century, Nang Nopamas, a royal consort of King Ramkhamhaeng (the founder of Sukhothai), made the first krathong as an offering to Mae Nam. She set it afloat on one of the canals of the palace so that it would drift past her lover, the king. This is the origin of the belief that if two lovers set a krathong adrift and it stays afloat until out of sight, their love will last forever.
Thai people also use the krathongs to float away their problems and anger and sometimes include a bit of themselves in the krathong. Bits of hair or fingernails may be sent afloat to symbolize the letting go of bad things in their life.
Traditional krathongs have come back in vogue with the Thai government telling people not to use Styrofoam to float their bad luck away. Good to see concern for the ecology.
Competitions for the biggest and most beautiful krathongs are held nation-wide. Usually there will also be beauty contests and the ladies will be decked out in their finest traditional Thai costumes.
If your vacation spot is on or near the beach – like in Pattaya or Phuket – you won’t be fireworks. If you are in Bangkok, head for Lumpini Park or the Chao Phraya River and experience this festival.
The place to celebrate Loy Krathong is in northern Thailand – Chiang Mai. The celebration lasts for about one week with processions, open markets, stage shows and a beauty pageant. Hotels will be booked solid so book in advance.
Loy Krathong is not a national holiday, but a night when Thais pay respect to the goddess of the waters by floating candlelit offerings on any and all waterways around the kingdom.
Plan your Thai holiday in the month of November to witness this spectacular Thai festival of water and romance.

This a good motto for business travelers to take to heart. While the same can be said for families and individuals looking for rentals, the rental business is made and maintained by business travelers, and there are very few business men, especially older ones, who have not experienced some very unwanted last-minute surprises when the final bill for the car-rental is much higher than what they originally anticipated.
There are a lot of horror stories involving expecting a $100 bill and paying $200, or of checking a credit card statement that included huge fees and expenses that the renter was never expecting. The bad news is, usually these will have to be paid, and there generally is not an appeals process. All rental contracts have small print, and guess what’s in that fine print? The good news is that with only moderate training, your eye will be able to scan a contract whether on paper or online, and see the most common traps that renters fall into. Once you see the traps, you’ll have the discernment to avoid them.
First off, watch out for local taxes and fees. Taxes and fees should be part of the quoted rate, but some places will try to pull a quick one by having the rental fees without the taxes. Always ask to be sure. Ignorance is not an excuse, and some rental places make their money off people not asking questions they should. Taxes and fees can increase your final cost by up to 70 percent in the worst situations.
Although usually a minor expense, you should note that most rental car places now add a small fee to customers earning frequent flier miles for their rentals. Expect to pay 50 cents per day, up to a maximum of $2 per rental, for earning those miles.
The most major thing to look out for is insurance. This is the one major car-rental fee you can do something about. When they pitch collision or liability damage waivers, don’t fall for rental car agents’ hard sell (these are commission items, which is why they are so strenously recommended at the counter). Normally, if you own a car and have insurance you’re already covered when driving a rental car. Many major credit cards offer insurance as long as the rental is charged on that card. Before your next trip, call your insurance company and credit card company to see if you’re covered. If you are, tell the person at the counter to forget the pitch: it’s not worth $30 a day or more to buy something you already have. Avoid these things, and your next car rental bill will be far less likely to start a migraine.