Best Tips to Travel Around The World

Travelling the world and enjoying holidays is a lot of fun. We tend to feel thrilled in the process of choosing the right destination, the preparations – shopping, packing, the journey by plane or car and finally, reaching our holiday resort. To be able to make the most of our holiday and enjoy our time abroad to the full, we need to bear in mind certain rules about our personal safety and safety of our valuables.

Losing our valuables whilst travelling can be a very unpleasant and stressful event, which can be avoided. First of all, if you do not need them, do not bring them with you. By valuables we mean expensive jewellery, watches, cameras, laptops, excessive amounts of cash, travel documents, traveler’s cheques etc. If you must bring them, then always take good care of them by packing them carefully in your hand luggage or somewhere where they can be constantly supervised. Do not leave your luggage unattended whilst at the airports, do not accept any offers to carry any items from third parties. And if you are travelling by car, always make sure the car is empty and the doors are locked before you leave it. When you reach your hotel, it is always a good idea to hire a safe either at the reception or pay for one in your room if it is not provided free of charge. When in your room, store your passport and your valuables in the safe. Try not to wear too much expensive jewellery when you are out and about. This way you would only become an obvious target for thieves. And it is also advisable not to bring your valuables to the beach. However, if you decide to bring your wallet with you, carry only a minimum amount of cash in it and do not leave it lying in the sand unsupervised. Do not fall for any scams and do not lend any money to anyone who approaches you or you do not know them. Do not trust third parties with your valuables either.

Photocopy your passport before you travel and bring the copy with you. It will make things a lot easier in case it gets lost and if you need to arrange for a new one. Always report any losses to the local authorities or the police and in a case of any emergency, don’t forget to carry the telephone number of the nearest British Embassy with you. Your insurance company will also be of assistance if you need it. However, if you want to report a loss or make a claim, always make sure you have taken all the reasonable steps to protect your valuables. Insurance companies are usually intolerant of any reckless attitude or unreasonable behaviour when it comes to compensating for your losses.

Browse through any of the well known travel magazines and you’re sure to find Bali, Indonesia, listed among the top 10 travel destinations in the world.

With its exotic blend of ancient culture, majestic scenery, the world’s finest hotels and the warmth of the tropical oceans surrounding the island paradise, it’s hardly surprising.

Bali is located in the Indonesian archipelago only eight degrees south of the Equator. The island measures 90 kilometres (55 miles) from north to south and 140 kilometres (90 miles) from east to west, making it easy to go out for an excursion anywhere in Bali and return to your hotel by nightfall.

Towering volcanic peaks that rise mystically through the clouds, terraced rice paddies carved into the mountainous landscape, iridescent crater lakes, lush tropical rain forests and sandy white beaches lapped by warm ocean currents are only a few of the wonders that draw millions of visitors to this tiny island each year.

Bali Tricks for First Time Travellers

Let’s look at some valuable travel tips to help you experience the very best that Bali has to offer:

1. Bali’s tropical weather means that travel at any time of the year is suitable, however its best to check when the major Indonesian holiday periods and religious ceremonies occur to avoid the influx of domestic tourists.

2. Bali accommodation offers superb value, particularly if you are travelling on a budget. To ensure you get the best value for money, book ahead.

3. Getting around in Bali can be quite an experience, to say the least! Road rules are nonexistent and traffic can be downright dangerous. Don’t assume that traffic will stop for you at a pedestrian crossing if you are on foot. If you are driving, the best piece of advice is to paraphrase a famous saying, “When in Bali, drive like the Balinese.”

4. Many of the luxury Bali hotels and villas will organize a driver for you, or you may choose to hire a bicycle if you don’t have far to travel.

5. As a tourist, you are bound to be hassled by local drivers shouting “Transport?” wherever you go. If you wish to hire a local driver, make sure he is clear about where you want to go and arrange a fixed price before you get in the car. Drivers are keen to barter with you, so it is customary to bargain until you get a price you are comfortable with.

6. And while we’re on the subject of bartering, it’s perfectly acceptable to barter in the local markets and stalls, but don’t try it in the larger department stores – the sales assistant may be quite offended.

7. Hawkers will descend on you from the moment you step outside your hotel, particularly if you are located in one of the major tourist areas. Although it may seem rude to you, the best advice is to ignore them altogether. Don’t make eye contact or slow down to look at the merchandise they are selling unless you are interested in purchasing something, or being distracted for what may seem an eternity trying to get rid of them.

8. Beware of counterfeit goods unless that is what you’re looking for. Bali is well known for its knock-offs and you can buy anything from fake Rolex’s to fake Rayban’s at the local markets.

9. It’s likely you may be offered illicit drugs in the highly populated tourist spots. Ecstasy, pot, yabba (crystal meth) and shabu-shabu (methamphetamines) are the most popular drugs on offer in nightclubs and on the beaches, particularly in the Kuta area.

If you don’t want to become another high-profile drug case, simply ignore the offers.

10. Bali locals are among the most friendly and relaxed people you will find anywhere in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can drop your guard when it comes to scams and rip-offs.

Be wary of moneychangers who offer you amazingly good rates for exchanging foreign currency, touts who offer you the cheapest ride to your destination without confirming a fixed price and anyone who wants the money before handing over the goods.

11. And perhaps the best tip for new travelers to Bali is the one that is bound to be least successful — don’t look like a tourist!

This sage piece of advice is written almost tongue-in-cheek because the diminutive, friendly Balinese bear no resemblance whatsoever to their much larger framed Western neighbours. Not only that, our cultures are vastly different and so is our language. The most you could possibly hope for is to look like an ex-pat from your native country who has chosen to live an idyllic lifestyle on the island.

I have recently started traveling around the world and have relied immensely on my iPhone to make the journey more enjoyable, prevent loss of information, and even point me in the right (or if I wish random but interesting) direction.

I will briefly teach you my favorite 5 top tips for traveling abroad with your iPhone

It is remarkable how much the world, as well as our daily lives have changed since the advent of mobile phones and in particular smart phones, such as the iPhone 3g by Apple. Some of us can remember the days when we use to make appointments once a day and kept them because there was no way to communicate the change of plan unless you were at home. Nowadays we need to be able to use the tools to our disposal to make better informed decisions… Even when on holiday or traveling.

The fact that there are websites that cater solemnly for providing high quality iPhone tutorial videos and cheat sheets is testament to this new wave of technology.

The cost of traveling with the internet in your pocket

With the recent advances, especially with the large amount of high quality Internet-connected applications that are available for the iPhone, trying to accomplish your daily tasks without the Internet on your phone becomes a problem.

This is a dilemma myself and other high frequency or power users of the iPhone have faced when having to travel abroad with your iPhone, which brings a few interesting challenges with it when you find out the roaming rate for data is between 3 and 6 between Europe and the rest of the world.

Luckily I have traveled internationally with my iPhone many times and found some novel solutions and will now supply a few tips to make traveling abroad with your iPhone a painless and more enjoyable experience.

Tip 1: Disable voicemail before leaving

Most carriers for the iPhone will charge you to receive voice-mails while you are abroad. With the Visual voicemail feature of the iPhone this means you will be charged international rates every time someone leaves a voicemail, whether you listen to it or not. It is easy to avoid these charged by disabling your voicemail while travelling abroad. For UK customers, to switch voicemail divert off dial 1760. On your return to switch it back on dial 1750.

Another way of disabling voice-mail before traveling is to type #004# and call. Enabling voice-mail on your return can be done by typing *004# and pressing call. Not all Networks across the globe allow this functionality, so if this tip doesn’t work for you just call your operator support to disable the visual voicemail

Tip 2: Disable data roaming.

Unfortunately data roaming with the iPhone Internet enabled applications can work out costly if you weren’t expecting it. It is surprising how much data an application such as email or normal web browsing can consume, which will leave you with a big shock when you find the bill at the end of the month.

To do this from the home screen click settings- general settings- network- data roaming – off

There are ways to still use your applications such as GPS navigation even with this feature turned off as explained later in this tutorial.

Before you go traveling I suggest you clear the data counter so that if you do switch on the data roaming occasionally for checking a important email or website, you will know exactly what the charge will be. To clear the data usage counters, from the home screen press the settings button, then press “usage” and lastly press “reset statistics” button.

Tip 3: enable flight mode when not expecting calls.

If you are on holiday, I’m sure you don’t want to be interrupted while listening to your favourite mp3′s while tanning on the white beaches of Sardinia or another gorgeous part of Europe.

oThis will stop you from receiving calls while activated, but more importantly prevent your battery from running flat for when you really DO need to make an important call.

o if you are near a WIFI access point you can still activate the wireless While the phone is still in airplane mode giving you the best solution:Internet access without data roaming charges and linger battery life.

Tip 4: Download the GoogleMaps so they are ready for GPS without incurring data rates

o Download the google maps prior to leaving your home country. All you need to do is to open the google maps app, search for your destination( preferably your hotel accommodation or street address ) and zoom in and around.

o The Google maps app will keep these maps in its temporary cache and will not require Internet access to display them again once you arrive in your destination.

o Prior to leaving I suggest to drop a pin on your points of interest, which you can then use as place marks to find your way around.

o If you have access to a Internet cafe or WIFI access point at your accommodation you can also visit your itinerary stops over the WIFI connection and have those maps cached when you are out and about.

Tip 5: Download offline translation applications.

o most of us will be familiar with the free applications such as iTranslate which uses Google translate over your Internet connection to translate between languages. When abroad this data transfer can be costly. I have found that paying a few dollars or pounds for the offline version of the software which includes phrases and vocabulary is much better and performs significantly faster.

One of the biggest things that you should look into is traveling, you don’t want to let the world pass you by, you want to spend the last year looking at it, traveling, and having fun! Make sure that you are on top of the travel choices and be sure that you are checking out what you are going to do so that your 2012 can be fun and exciting. Valencia is a destination that you should check out and an area that you should go to.

All About Valencia

Valencia is in Spain and is one of the most beautiful areas of the country. This is the third largest city that is in Spain and it has a population that is just shy of a million people. This is a place that has grown in the last few years and is a great area to check out; there is a ton of economic growth. This area has a ton of things to do and is heavy in the areas of entertainment, media, and fashion. It is also a huge port as it is located on the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia was founded as a Roman colony around 100 BC, definitely a place to check out and to have a great vacation at.

Heading to Valencia for Vacation

If you have decided that you are going to end 2012 with more than a bang, you need to head to Valencia. Make sure that you are checking out their rentals that they have, don’t stay in a hotel, stay in style! Remember, this is going to be your last trip and you want to get there before it is too late. Make sure that you are getting an apartment for the holiday that you are taking and really enjoy all of the time that you are going to be out and about. The holiday apartments are a great idea because they are going to be there just for you and they are more personalized for you and are a great choice to stay in.

Don’t let the world end in 2012 without taking that amazing vacation to a wonderful place. Make sure that you are getting the vacation planned that you need in Valencia so that you can end the world with a bang and have that amazing vacation that you want. Getting a holiday apartment will make it really easy for you to get what you need and to have that vacation and that location that really works well for you.