travel tips Archives - Seek Your Trip

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 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.

October 21, 2017 by Arlene

Unfamiliar Territory: Navigational Tips for Business Travelers

Business travel is full of traps for the unwary. Apart from turning up to meetings tired, irritated, glucose-deficient, with the wrong notes and, quite possibly, the wrong shoes, there is the ever-present risk of getting lost in a strange city. One of the things you can do to make like easier for yourself is to make sure that, come what may, you will be able to find your way to where you want to be and back again.

Have a Reliable Base

A real sign that you are traveling too much is when you forget which hotel you are staying in. Try to stand on your rights to choose your own hotels, and have its name and preferably its image easily to hand. Often hotels are known to taxi drivers by names that differ from the official names.

There’s a lot to be said for staying near an airport, as it is very difficult to lose it! For instance, visitors to Montreal would not go far wrong with the Marriott Fairfield Inn Montreal Airport.

Use Hi-Tech

9 times out of 10, your smartphone is all you need to find your way around. Google Maps gets more powerful all the time and will invite you to download the map of the city you are in so that it doesn’t matter if you lose connectivity.

If using public transport you will want a good app to give you the best routes by bus and subway. Transit works well in Montreal and many other cities worldwide. You may rely on the Uber app for taxis but many cities have local companies that are just as good, like Montreal’s all-electric Téo taxis. And if the way gets blocked to traffic, you can always revert to a bicycle, finding the nearest Montreal Bixi bike with the Biximo app—equivalent schemes exist in many big cities.

Use Lo-Tech

It is always a good idea to have a backup, generally in the form of a humble map. Don’t go out in a strange city without one. Mark on it the places you need to go. Even if the language is a problem, you can always wave it in front of a native and get some sort of directions.

Learn to get your bearings from physical signs around you. You can usually get a basic compass direction by:

Finding the sun and working out which way is south (or north in the southern hemisphere).
Knowing the direction of the prevailing wind and looking for clues, like the way trees grow away from the wind.
Knowing which way the satellite dishes face in your given city.
Finding places of worship and knowing which way they are generally orientated.

Never Get Lost

A combination of the gadgets that all business travelers carry and the native wit with which we are born should ensure that you never need to get lost, even in the most confusing of cities. It is just one more stress factor that you can manage without.

December 12, 2013 by Arlene

5 Ways to Protect Yourself Abroad

Let’s face it, we all know there are dangers that come along with traveling, especially for adventurous people like ourselves. But, we also know that none of us are going to let those risks stop us. That being said, there are definitely some important steps to take to make sure you are protected as you travel. Preparedness is half the battle. Start off prepared and your chance of incident already decreases! Check out our 5 tips below for protecting yourself while you’re abroad.

Documentation

One of the most important things you can do when traveling to another country is have documentation of who you are, where you are going, and those to notify in case of an emergency. Not only should you be carrying all this info on you- you should also have several copies made for yourself, and someone responsible back home. Your itinerary, copies of your passport, driver’s license, and any notable medical issues are records should always be on hand. Keep copies on you, in your bag at the hotel, as well as in the safe care of a family member who isn’t traveling with you. This way, should you run into trouble, you have multiple ways of identifying yourself to authorities and medical professionals.

Planning

It’s always fun to be spontaneous, adventurous and live in the moment, but having a pre-made plan for your travels can be quite important. Even if you don’t want to give your family a play-by-play of your daily intentions, at least let them know which countries , cities or towns you plan to visit and when. Or if you’d like to be super secretive, give them a date you expect to return by or be in touch by so they know when to start worrying if you don’t turn up.

Travel Insurance

I can’t stress this enough to fellow travelers: buy travel insurance. There are so many situations and incidents that can happen, dire or minimal, that you might need some protection for: Cancelled flights, lost medication, unexpected injury, family emergencies, weather trouble, etc. The list goes on and on. Lucky for travelers now a days, travel insurance is just a click away. Companies like Bupa offer so many options. Single trip, multi trip, not to mention insurance for the type of trip you are going on. Pretty easy and makes a world of difference if you get in an unexpected pinch.

Strength in Numbers

When traveling it’s always important to have a buddy system or travel in a group. If you do feel the need to venture off on your own, or are traveling solo, make it a point to check in with someone when you return. A good tip for the solo travel is to make plans to meet up with familiar faces when possible, if you happen to be traveling thru an area where you know someone. Of course, stay out of dark alleys and avoid dangerous parts of the city alone at night. Even feel free to tell the front desk at your hotel that you plan to arrive back or check-out on a certain date/time. Give them an emergency contact number for if that doesn’t happen.

Safeguard

If traveling alone is unavoidable or you’re just one of those folks who prefers it, you can still continue to protect yourself. I like to carry an under the shirt wallet that straps to my body so your belongings aren’t so noticeable. Even if you do this, always only carry just enough money to get what you need for that day. Don’t wear fancy jewelry or clothes so as not to draw attention to yourself. Also, if you have a safebox in your hotel or hostel, make sure to make use and lock things up well. The less enticing items you are carrying around with you, the less likely you’ll be a target.

…

Photo by scrubhiker on Flickr