Category: Travelling
It is the New Year now. In the New Year holiday, many people plan to have a travel outside to relax themselves. The weather in this holiday is so cold, so I will introduce some tips people should pay attention to in travelling.
Drink black tea one week in advance. Study found that drinking 500 ml of black tea every day one week before travel will stimulate the body to secrete 2-4 times of interferon more than usual, which can enhance the immune system and allow you not vulnerable virus caused by the common cold and hepatitis.
Prepare ample anti-hypoxia drugs. Irish researchers found that more than half of the passengers will have hypoxia symptom when they take planes. Hypoxia combined with dehydration, sedentariness and drying and other factors can induce a variety of diseases. So, it is suggested that travelers eat acetazolamide to increase the body’s oxygen metabolism two days before taking planes.
Eat protein before departure. According to the American Academy of Neurology’s theory, when people take vehicles, ear vestibule balance receptors in human body will stimulated and make people feel dizzy, nausea, vomiting and have other symptoms. Pennsylvania State University study shows that eating protein such as eggs and beef before takeoff could reduce nausea and other symptoms by 26%.
Drink bottled water outside. To travel in remote areas or underdeveloped countries, it is better not to the local water. Experts recommend you drink bottled water when traveling to avoid viruses and bacterial infection. Brushing teeth and cleaning contact lenses are better to use boiled water.
Remember to wash hands frequently. Experts think that washing hands frequently during travel is the best way to prevent various infections. If it is not convenient to wash hand, you can take a bottle of alcohol (content of 60% or more). In addition, do not touch poultry and wild birds, for they are highly susceptible to infectious diseases.
Now that independent driving is part of the practical driving test, gaining good navigation skills while learning to drive is important. The advantage of learning how to navigate early in your driving experience is that you will quickly become a more confident, practical driver.
Plan ahead
It may seem obvious, but planning ahead is key to successful navigation. Before starting your journey, study the route on a map. If your drive covers a long distance, identify service stations and places you can stop for a break, integrating these points into your route. As a good starting point, there are plenty of journey planner apps available online and for mobile phones, many will generate multiple routes to choose from.
If youre travelling to a venue, restaurant or business, check for directions and a map on the company website. If possible, its worth phoning ahead to your destination in advance of your journey to check that it is easy to locate and to enquire about parking.
Look out for road signs, road markings and landmarks
Road signs will usually start to provide directions before you need them, so make sure you observe all signs and road markings as you drive. When going on a long journey, be aware of towns and cities along your route as a way of mapping out the benchmarks of your journey. This way, before sign posts appear for your destination you can confidently navigate through other locations along the route.
Keep a map to hand in your car
Even if you have a satnav, keeping a map in your car is advisable, its always a good idea to have a physical back-up in case your satnav breaks! If you find you are lost and need to look at a map, find a safe place to pull in to re-navigate. Never compromise driving safety by checking details on a map or programming your satnav while driving.
Its worth always keeping a map book of your local region in your car, to cover areas you are likely to drive to. When driving to a new destination, for example going on holiday, its worth taking a map of the places youll be travelling to. If nothing else, maps can be vitally useful for determining location in a breakdown situation.
Satnav
A satnav system can be useful when driving, especially if you find yourself in an area you dont recognise, but be wary of trusting the directions you are given verbatim. Always sense-check directions provided by a satnav, remember to primarily use road signs and markings for guidance and never blindly follow instructions. While satellite navigation can be effective, a satnav map in need of an update, or with programming discrepancies could lead you into a dangerous situation, so always use common sense while driving!
Lost? Dont panic!
If you find you are lost, dont panic. Find a safe place to pull over, such as a car park or layby and check your location on a map. In this instance, a satnav system or a mobile phone with GPS can be extremely useful for determining your location. Finding somewhere to safely stop and re-navigate as soon as you lose your bearings will enable you to resume your journey with confidence.
If you are lost near to your location, stopping to ask for directions is a good idea, people at local businesses, petrol stations and service stations are likely to be able to provide directions to nearby destinations. To help remember a set of instructions and ensure your full understanding, repeat directions back to the person advising you. If you have a complicated set of instructions to follow, it might be worth writing them down if possible. When resuming your journey, take your time, staying calm and focussed.
Ireland vacations: Sight-seeing in Ireland
If you have been planning a vacation in Dublin for a long time now, you will be ecstatic to learn that the city is filled with amazing places that will not let you get bored even for a second of your trip. The best opening to your vacation in Dublin would undoubtedly be The Walking Tour as the two hour walk with the best history students will take you from Trinity College to the Christ Church Cathedral. Another tour that you must take is the Musical Pub Crawl in which famous musicians will tell you about their music and also show you their musical instruments. The Dublin Castle, situated on the River Poddle, is seven hundred years old and hence you should definitely pay it a visit. Another place that you should absolutely see is the Grafton Street while in Dublin as it is the busiest shopping area and will show you the real taste of Dublin.
Great Ireland Vacation: Dublins Local History
For the best Ireland Vacations, you should definitely plan your trip so that there are no last minute details to cater to and there are no hitches at the last moment. There are a plethora of websites that specialize in proving the most valuable information about the latest deals and packages which will enable you to have the most amazing vacation in Dublin. Dublin in Ireland is a famous vacationing resort majorly because of the reason of its rich local history amongst many others. While on a holiday in Dublin, you should make sure that you sign up for the invaluable study groups and bus tours that will take you to all the famous places in the city and tell you the extraordinary local history as well. Some of the tours include the Irish Spree, Best of Ireland, Northern Highlights, Southern Highlights and Unforgettable Ireland to mention a few that will make your vacation an eye-opening one.
Ireland Vacations: Great Nightclubs in Dublin
It is believed that there is not much to see when it comes to nightlife while vacationing in Dublin, situated in Ireland. This is far from the truth as Dublin has a plethora of awesome nightclubs and bars that let you enjoy your time to the fullest while you are in the city. Some of the best known nightclubs that will show you a great time in Dublin include AKA, 4 Dame Lane, Academy, Auld Dubliner, The Bailey and the Bachelor Inn. In order to ensure that you have access to all the great nightclubs in the city, you should ensure that the hotel you stay at is in the near vicinity of the nightclub so that it is convenient for you. Once you experience the Dublin nightlife first hand, you will get to know why they say that it is very exciting and thrilling to vacation in Dublin.
Ireland Vacations: Sights to See in Dublin
Some of the best tourist sights of Ireland are located in Dublin, the largest city as well as the capital. The city is renowned for history and culture, with the Viking settlements and architecture, to modern day art and night life. Dublin Castle gives the city its name. It was the seat of British rule till 1922, and now houses the State Apartments. The Castle is magnificently located where the River Liffey meets its tributary the Poddle. Gardens and woods stretching to about 194 acres belong to the Ardgillan Castle built in 1738. The place is a safe haven for many kinds of birds and mammals. Many exhibitions are now displayed here. You can interact with local people selling from street barrows presenting a colorful sight at Moore Street. Most parts of the street have been paved for pedestrians only. Most international brands and chains can be found here, making it the most famous shopping district.
Italy is a highly rich country, at least as far as travelers are concerned. When you are walking through the streets of small Italian towns or even villages, it almost feels like you are part of an old, vintage movie and nothing has changed. Everything surrounding you, from the architectural style of the buildings to the small groceries built right on the street, everything is simply enchanting, hard to describe in words. If New York and Las Vegas are cities full of speed, lights and technology, Italy is at the opposite side. So, what should any traveler do to really discover the beauty of this country, to be dazzled by simplicity rather than luxury? The answer is simpler than you might expect. Agritourism is the type of traveling you should try. If you wanted to visit Italy, then you most likely have heard of the enchanting area of Lake Bolseno. Located in the center of the country, near the sunny and warm Tuscany, this volcanic lake seems to draw a surprising number of tourists year after year. However, for one reasons or another, you won’t find an overwhelming number of Lake Bolsena hotels.
This fact reveals a secret, one that that you should be aware of, if you are thinking of visiting this destination. There is no better way to see the beauties of this land other than by choosing an agriturismo Lake Bolsena accommodation option. These are usually establishments that are built on the notion of tradition, of culture. Agritourism offers a completely different understanding of the concept of traveling. You will be taken away from the modern lifestyle, from the noisy streets, filled with fast moving cars, from the long lines to get into museums, from fast food restaurants and of hotels without any personality. When choosing a farmhouse holiday, you are given the opportunity to enjoy the simple lie. You can swim in the lake Bolsena, without being accompanied by a great number of people you don’t know. Each day, you have the chance to walk on stony roads, organize a picnic in the woods, visiting vineyards and seeing the center of Montefiascone with different eyes.
As far as the actual accommodation is concerned, you should know that you are welcomed in traditional houses and apartments that fit in perfectly with the rest of the buildings in the surrounding area. You will no longer be accommodated in the typical hotel room. As you can easily see, agritourism does bring something completely special, it brings a new experience, one through which you can fully understand a culture, a specific tradition. In fact, this is the true way one should travel. In the end, the goal is find the differences in cultures, not necessarily the similarities. Originality rests in differences, so make all efforts to discover them. If Lake Bolsena is the area that has convinced you, then focus on finding the right agritourism company to work with, one that can offer you a truly revealing experience and the chance to enjoy nature at its best.
If you want to find out more about agriturismo Lake Bolsena and about a different kind of Lake Bolsena hotels, please click on these links!
While it is undoubtedly very convenient to swipe your credit card when you are travelling overseas, it might be an eye-opener to know that you may be paying additional costs and fees every time you do so. Consider these statistics
Banks earn 500 million from overseas credit card usage.
According the Office of National Statistics, Britons spend more than 30 billion in foreign countries; of this, more than half is spent with credit cards.
Almost 70% of credit cards users are unaware that their credit card company levies additional surcharges and fees when they make card purchases during foreign jaunts.
If you were previously unaware of these charges, read on to find out the specific costs you could incur when you swipe your cards on non-UK soil.
Fees for Swiping your Card
When using your card abroad, you may have to pay up to 2.75% of every single purchase you make as an exchange rate loading or foreign usage fee. This means if you have bought goods worth 1000 on your credit card, you may have actually paid 1027.50 for them.
Fees for Cash Withdrawal
If you need cash whilst travelling abroad, you should try and avoid making withdrawals on your credit card as you may be subject to even further charges. Firstly, you may have to pay local cash withdrawal fees of approximately 1.5%. Secondly, you may also need to pay additional fees for withdrawing cash overseas. You may also be charged interest on the amount of cash you withdraw. This means that potentially for every 1,000 you take as cash you may end up paying 47.50 for the privilege (the equivalent of an interest rate of 4.75%)
Currency Conversion
Here you pay a bit of money, even though there are 2 ways in which currency is converted to sterling. In the older system, when you make credit card purchases abroad you pay in local currency. Visa or MasterCard then convert the purchase price to pounds when you reach home, and you pay the amount in sterling. Since the exchange rate fluctuates, you may either find yourself paying up more, or less than the day you made the purchases. In the new Dynamic Currency Conversion or DCC, the local payment vendor will inform you of the pounds sterling equivalent at the purchase point. However, although the exchange rate offered is normally quite poor, this method does help you to budget during your holiday as you are aware of the exact amount charged to your card.
The good news is that not all credit card providers charge you the same rate. If you are a savvy user, you should either be able to negotiate your card company into proving you with a more reasonable foreign usage rate or simply select a card that levies the lowest fees. This is well worth doing as by investigating possible credit card charges before you get on the plane, you may save up to 5% of your holiday costs.
There are a few credit card providers that dont charge a commission fee when you use your credit card overseas. One of these is the Post Office credit card. Comparison websites like About Your Money will compare the Post Office credit card against other credit cards. Because lets face it you are not on holiday or overseas all the time, so although this will save you money for a short period of time, will it for a longer duration.