Travel Archives - Page 3 of 45

November 4, 2018 by Arlene

Some Budget Tips If You Are Travelling In Group

Travelling in groups may not be preferred by many. But when you travel with your friends or a few other families, you get to do lots of fun together. Group travelling means there are certain rules that have to be followed. First, there should be unity in the group and one has to stick to the plan made initially or agree upon the financial part. You cannot make the decision for others as every member will have their say. Communication is one of the priorities if you want a lovely group travelling experience.

You might have a very different budget than the other group members. Therefore you need to talk to others beforehand so that you do not end up disagreeing with others on a holiday. Make a rough budget while you plan the vacation. Also, it is advisable to carry some extra money with you so that you can spend it in times of need. It is never a wise decision to go out in a very limited budget. Moreover, do not show your grief if anyone does not want to try any particular activity. You must respect their budget too.

Here are some of the essential tips that will help you to manage your budget while travelling in groups.

Choose Your Destination

Choosing a place that is suitable and affordable for everyone is very important. You may have planned for a wine tasting trip, but other group members might not want that or have no budget for it. When you have to think about your budget while planning a vacation, you cannot make a random choice for a destination. Your location must be such a place that all the members would love and can easily afford.

The whole budget factor depends entirely on location. Many holiday destinations are in general expensive and are termed as luxury vacation destinations. So if you have planned for such a place, make sure that other also agrees to it.

Find Time To Relax

Travelling with groups mean you get less time for yourself and more activities. But this may not be a good thing for you all the time. You might want to take rest, do nothing and just sit back, watching the beautiful sunset from your balcony. So your group members must respect your feelings and appreciate the way you want to enjoy. Whether it is eating breakfast early or read a book in the late afternoon, you need to make time for yourself. This will help you to feel relaxed and you can overcome the travelling stress.

This means you can enjoy the holiday in your own way even if you are with the group. But also keep in mind that you must not avoid your fellow members. You can go with them for shopping, dinner and at other time you can be on your own.

Accommodation Plan

Always decide collectively where the group will stay. Group travellers mostly prefer vacation rentals as it provides spacious rooms, privacy, self-catering kitchen and lots of other benefits that you cannot find in a hotel.

Hope these group travel tips will help you to save money and enjoy a great vacation.

October 5, 2018 by Arlene

Carry On Luggage Buying Guide: How To Choose One For You

It is really important to have a perfect luggage that perfectly fits your travel requirements. While you’re travelling, you need a carry-on luggage that can pack all your essentials in an organised way and suit the various airline restrictions. Different people have different requirements about the cabin luggage such as a traveller will need a perfect backpack for carrying goods throughout the trip and a business person will need a bag that comes with a laptop compartment.

Buying guide for choosing ideal carry on luggage: Below mentioned are the notables points you must consider to make the choice for an ideal carry on luggage for your next trip.

Lightweight

This is the most important point that needs proper consideration. No one wants to carry a luggage that is too bulky to manage. Thus, it needs to be lightweight so that it can be scrolled or handled anywhere easily. Not just this, a lighter carry-on luggage can help you save a lot of money by paying excess baggage fee during air journey. When you’re travelling to different places then a lightweight luggage can be easily managed and carried.

Sturdy wheels for rolling

One important that should also be included in the buying guide is the rolling features. Carry-on luggage should be fitted with wheels to make easy rolling on any surface. Along with smooth rolling, wheels help in pulling the luggage sideways in a congested area without hitting any other people.

Expandability

Here comes the other point that must be included in the buying guide. An expanding luggage is great for trips especially when you’re returning home and have bought a lot of souvenirs. If you’ll buy an expanding luggage then you’ll be able to fit many more goods. Another benefit of having an expandable luggage is that it can be used as perfect cabin luggage without asking you for extra luggage fees.

Highly Spacious

When it comes to buying the perfect luggage, the important thing that needs to be considered is the space factor. Always go with wider body luggage as it can help in keeping goods in large amount. A wide body of the luggage ensures excellent space for keeping more stuff. Internal pockets and small compartments can help in managing the small goods in an arranged way.

Optimum Durability

One of the important points of this buying guide is the optimum durability of the luggage. Your luggage should be strong and durable enough to withstand the impact during travelling. Thus, you need to choose it carefully depending on your travelling activities and destination. Apart from this, there are many other points that must be considered while choosing the best luggage for your travelling. These include safety & security features, outside pockets, sturdy handle, security locks, and material.

For every travel and tour, you need a perfect carry on cabin luggage that can easily withstand the roughness and impact of the travel. The abovementioned buying guide will help you in finding the best one in terms of lightweight, durability and easy rolling.

August 16, 2018 by Arlene

Do You Need Alcohol to Enjoy a Vacation?

Alcoholic beverages have long since harbored a double-edged sword effect across the US. For many, it can be a relaxing way to unwind after a long day at work. For others it becomes a spiraling addiction to its effects, eventually causing a disintegration of their dignity, self-control, and personal lives. Within the bustling crowds waiting to get into the bar is a staggering set of numbers: about 17 million men and women suffer from an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Despite the negative effects of coping with an AUD, treatment programs can help you address and resolve even the most debilitating cases of alcoholism. Before seeing a treatment specialist, make sure to take the steps to ascertain the severity of the AUD and understand when to seek professional help.

Identifying AUD

Besides binge drinking, known as the act of consuming enough alcohol to become intoxicated in two hours, there are other signs of AUD to be aware of.

Consuming alcoholic drinks while driving
Drinking alcohol consistently throughout the day
Drinking copious amounts of alcohol to deliberately dull the senses
Consuming large quantities of alcohol exclusively in social situations

Recognize when Symptoms have Gotten out of Control

When confronting your or someone else’s AUD symptoms, it’s vital to also recognize which signs demonstrate sporadic excessive drinking and which ones reveal a pattern of addition. Keep in mind that studies have even shown excessive drinking to be capable of altering electrical brainwaves, deteriorating the amount of control one has over their self-regulation with drinking. This can lead to dangerous consequences if left unchecked, so begin considering professional guidance if:

The tolerance level to alcohol has risen dramatically in conjunction with increased drinking
You experience withdrawal symptoms after attempting to quit drinking
You attempt to quit drinking, but feel a compelling urge to continue that defies your willpower
Crucial life activities, like your job, family, or hobbies, begin to shrink in comparison to how much time and money is devoted to alcohol
The abuse of alcohol begins leading to arrests, hospitalizations, domestic disputes, being fired, loss of custody for children, or car wrecks

Dealing with Withdrawal

When it comes time to confront the possibility of an AUD, there are various options available for treatment. For example, certain programs may offer potential patients an in-house, daily, or around the clock treatment. Meanwhile, other facilities can allow you to stay at home, working on an addiction recovery program surrounded by the comforts of your home and loved ones.

When undergoing withdrawal treatment, you may have to begin with a medical detoxification procedure lasting anywhere from a day to over a week. Not every incoming patient will need a detox, but those that do will typically meet these criteria:

Experiencing drastic physical pain
Health would be at an immediate risk due to withdrawal symptoms
Anticipated to be experiencing a great deal of discomfort while experiencing withdrawals

Treatment Options

Once you have chosen a treatment location that’s right for you, there are numerous medical options to help begin transitioning away from any negative dependency on alcohol.

Behavioral Treatments– Therapeutic treatment with counselors and psychologists like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Medications– There are currently three medications approved by the FDA to assist you in recovering from alcohol addiction, and each one plays a specific role in helping your body recover. Naltrexone aids in reducing the urge to binge drink, Acamprosate helps users maintain their sobriety once they’ve quite drinking, and Disulfiram eliminates the breakdown of alcohol in the body.
Recovery Meetings– Recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, and All Recovery have regular meetings.

August 8, 2018 by Arlene

How to Find the Best Deals on Domestic Flights

There are two types of travelers. One decides to go on a trip, quickly scans for a good deal, and books then and there. The later has a price in mind and searches for at least a few days, if not a few weeks, before securing what they believe is the best price.

The first person in that scenario might score a great deal or they might pay double what someone else does. This occurs for two reasons:

a)This person didn’t know what the average price would be.
b)This person didn’t take the time to do the proper research in order to secure the best price.

If you are in a financial situation to pay regardless of the price, that is excellent. However, the majority of Americans could use the additional savings and should take the time to search for the best deal for their next flight to Palm Beach or wherever their travels may take them.

For this reason, we’ve compiled some of the top tips to ensure you find the best deals on your next domestic flight.

First, sign up for airfarewatchdog email notifications. So many of us travel to the same place over and over again. Usually to visit family. Wouldn’t it be ideal to know exactly when a great deal to your top destination hits? You can use this site to request immediate notifications as soon as they launch. If you are a more spur of the moment kind of person, request the best deals leaving from your home airport and book your next getaway based on an amazing flight price.

It’s been asked for years, “Is there a best day to buy a plane ticket?” The information has been conflicting, but most recent results point to yes. If you are planning your next flight to The Palm Beaches, you will likely want to book it on Sunday. That’s right, folks. Tuesday may have been the best back in the day, but in 2018, you will almost surely find the lowest plane ticket on a Sunday.

Now you know Sunday is the best day to buy a ticket, how far out should you buy it? Six weeks before your flight or maybe six months in advance? While you may still find a good deal if you wait, the data still points to purchasing your ticket as soon as possible. This is particularly true if you have plans to travel during the high season.

Another common questions is: What if I find a great deal on Expedia or another low-cost airline ticket website? Should I book it?

There are many great, reliable resources to find affordable flights, which now even include Google. However, before you book, search directly through the airline.

For example, imagine you find a deal from JFK to PBI through Delta and notice it’s one of the lowest costs you have ever paid. Your instinct is to lock in the rate, but go directly to the Delta website first. Search the exact parameters (date, time, airports) and see if you can find the same deal. If the same low-cost rate is found directly through the airline, purchase it there.

While the initial cost of the ticket is the same, this extra step could make a difference. If you miss your flight or need to change the reservation for any reason, it will be much easier and cheaper to do so through the actual airline.

“Is it more expensive to travel on certain days or is it my imagination?” This is another common question. Airlines know most people work Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. This means that many Americans leave for vacation on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in order to take the least amount of time off work.

If you have the flexibility, try to take advantage of the least traveled days with the best deals around and book a ticket leaving and/or returning on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Other ways to save

Mobile apps are becoming more common for everything from fitness to finance to travel. It is really no surprise that a top way to save money when buying an airline ticket is through the app Hopper. According to a recent CNBC article, a Hopper representative said that users “tend to save 10 to 15 percent on your ticket.”

Additionally, if you have a destination in mind, but are not tied down to a date, you will save money by traveling during the low season. North of the equator, the high season is in the summer from about May to September. Similarly, south of the equator is also most popular in the summer; our winter. Consider traveling during the off-season to save money. For example, Europe in October will be cooler, but the tourist destinations will be less crowded and your airline ticket will be lower than a few months prior.

Even if you can’t secure the cheapest ticket, there are still ways to lower your overall cost of travel. For example:

Bring an empty water bottle that you can fill up past security.
Luxuries are scarce on flights. If you are on an overnight flight, bring your own pillow and blanket to ensure a comfortable ride.
Bring your own book and ear buds.