6 Things to Remember When Driving In a Strange City
Driving in a strange city strange to you, you quickly discover two things – first, that most signs are for drivers who know where they are going, and second, drivers who know where they are going have little tolerance for drivers who don’t. Here are some hints to ease your on-wheels introduction not only to new street patterns, but to a new city’s particular pace, rhythm and unwritten rules of the road.
- Before your trip, get a good map and pore over it. Your best sources: the library (which should have a road atlas); a state highway map (which will have insets of detailed sections of major cities); The Automobile Association of America members have access to their stock of local maps. Study the map before you leave to anticipate problems before you encounter them.
Note the names of major streets, the directions in which they run and their location relative to each other – what is parallel to what and which ones cross. Even if you get lost, knowing the names and directions of major streets helps when asking for directions. Some arteries may also be highways with route numbers, and route signs are often easier to spot than street names when you are behind the wheel.
Locate on the map the street that is your destination, and note its relation to the major streets, including the ones you may encounter if you overshoot your mark. Notice the numbers of the nearest freeway exits, too. Remember that street names may appear at several different exits, but every exit does have its own number; figure out which one you need and you won’t get lost.
- Get oriented. East us east and west is west, and you’ll need to know which is which, particularly in cities where directions are part of the address, such as “NE” or “SW.” If a mountain range is to the west of the city or a lake is to the north, noting that fact will be helpful. Or use distinctive buildings, radio towers – whatever is available to mark a direction. Don’t count on the sun; darkness or a heavy, overcast sky can disorient you.
- Discover the street pattern. In some cities, streets are laid out in a simple grid. Perhaps overlaid with a diagonal or two. Other towns are spider webs. Some cities make it easy, by numbering streets or naming them alphabetically; in others they’re named after American presidents, so if you’re not lucky enough to remember that Polk served after Tyler, you’re likely to get lost. Whatever the pattern, discover it.
Also, consider the one-way streets. For instance, are all odd-numbered streets northbound? On detailed city maps, arrows sometimes indicate the direction of individual streets’ traffic flow. Once you’ve checked that pattern, however, remember that reality can differ from the map. When driving in a city that was once familiar but which you haven’t visited recently, it’s especially important to remember that thoroughfares that used to move in one direction can now be a solid stream of traffic flowing in the other.
Street numbers offer another pattern worth observing. In which direction do street numbers get bigger? And do they increase in both directions from a particular thoroughfare or only in one direction from a river or lakefront?
- Learn the sign language. Cities have individual ways of placing directional signs and street names. Some cities confound strangers by posting only the names of the cross streets and never naming the street you’re on, except at main intersections. Other cities re more helpful, announcing the name of each upcoming street with large signs at midblock.
- Notice what the locals do. This is especially important in terms of driving speed. Obviously you always drive at a speed at which you’re comfortable, so if the tempo on the main arteries tightens your grip on the steering wheel, either stay well to the right to find alternate routes. If, on the other hand, traffic moves at a more leisurely pace than you’re used to, ease off: you may attract police attention if you proceed at your usual speed.
One important question: How do the locals respond to yellow lights? If the yellow lights are seen as “hard,” most drivers will treat them as what they were designed to be: preliminary reds, requiring that you stop. In a “soft yellow” city, many drivers will treat the lights as a trailing green, and press on to cross the intersection before the red light appears. If you’re in a “soft yellow” city, wait a beat at a changing red to be sure no drivers are about to shave the light.
- Be more attentive than usual to personal safety. You should always look out for your personal safety on the road – but be doubly alert in a city unknown to you. Always lock your doors and conceal your valuables. Stow all luggages out of sight and while at the wheel put your purse under a seat or out of view. Drive with all windows up.
Ask about high crime areas. A map shows streets’ names and layouts, but it cannot characterize a district as one that strangers should avoid. Ask where those areas are, and until you know, stick to the superhighway and maintain arteries.
Beware - Thieves Target Airports
Pickpockets and thieves frequent most large airports: New York’s JFK, Chicago’s O’ Hare and Miami’s International are among the hardest hit. Pickpockets are common at ticket counters, phone booths, newsstands, rest rooms and cart rental stands – places where you open your purse. At O’ Hare and other airports, “nuisance crimes” are a problem: Someone offers to carry your belongings or get you a cab quickly, then demands a large payment.
Thieves work in groups. One or two create a distraction; another steals from you. To create a distraction, they:
- Ask you to read the departure board for them “because I forgot my glasses.”
- Point out money on the ground and ask if it is yours.
- Drop a suitcase on the escalator or point out a spot on the back of your jacket or blouse to get your attention. Seattle airport officials report the “escalator bump followed by a profuse apology.” Passengers appreciate the concern until they find their wallet is missing.
- Target mothers struggling with luggage and children. A St. Louis woman reported their suitcase strap was entangled in her stroller. While she bent over to help, they stole her wallet.
“Trust me” is another scam. Police at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix warn of thieves who engage a traveler in friendly conversation, then ask you to watch his or her belongings while he goes to the “newsstand” or “rest room.” The thief hopes you will then trust him to watch your belongings. When you return, your belongings are gone.
Protect yourself. You have to be vigilant when you are in a crowded place.
· Carry as few credit cards and as little cash as possible. Use traveler’s checks even if you are only traveling for a day or two.
· Carry your purse close to your body in front of you.
· Carry tickets in an outside compartment of your bag or briefcase to avoid having to open them; carry money for phone calls, cart rentals, tips and sundries in a pocket.
· Never take your eyes off any of your belongings. If someone bumps into you or seems overly friendly, be cautious.
· Tag belongings with your name, business address and phone number; most thieves prefer property that is not easily identifiable.
· Keep passport, credit card and traveler’s check numbers in a safe place to facilitate cancellation if your purse is stolen.
· Make sure you know where the airport security personnel are located so that when something goes wrong and you need their help, you can go directly to them in no time.
Thailand Travel Tips: Some good reasons of using travel agents
I believe that many of visitors who want to go to Thailand use the services from travel agent. Even though they just want to book accommodation, they also prefer to use travel agent too. Threr a lot of benefit of using travel agent to manage your trip to Thailand, although it would cost you some more money but I can guarantee that It will be a lot cheaper than you manage for your self and pay for every thing. Some examples of these benefits are;
1. Pay less
You may not be able to imagine how using service of travel agent make you pay less, as it is quite obvious that they will definitely collect for service and add up for their profit. In fact, You may have to pay for service fee and add up cost, but I can guarantee that it will not greater than the money that you have to pay a lot more if you pay without using travel agent service. This is because normally travel agent will get a lot of discounts for major services in travel business such as hotel accommodation and travel package. They usually get more than 30-50 per cent discount and when they add up for about 10 per cent for profit. This will cost you only for 60-70 per cent of the full price comparing if you have to book by yourself without using the service. The other reason is that travel business in Thailand is very competitive. Many of them can not just add up for profit too much because they will lose competitiveness in the business. So you can rest assure that you don’t have to pay more than the amount that you will pay by your own trip management.
2. All covered at one payment.
I am talking about the convenience. Once you book some kind of services, hotel accommodation for example, travel usually include the cost of breakfast, airport transfer for you, you do not have to pay another extra money to cover those services and if you compare the price if you book all of these service for yourself, you will find that it’s cheaper! Also, if you buy travel package, you do not have to worry about to buy additional accident insurance or meals coverage, because travel agent will provide you and include them in one pay.
3. Save time.
Yu don’t have to spend too much time on researching travel destination or price of the transportation or price of the hotel. You can just select the programme that you want and take a look which kind of services available in the travel itinerary. If all the detail satisfy you, then you just consider whether you can pay for this price or not, if not then just find the price of another agent for price comparison and that’s all. What you have to do is only comparing the price and options that each travel are offering differently as well as the price.
These are just few example of benefits of using agents if you wish to go to Thailand. You can ask around travel agent in your local area, which I believe that they will have some connection with local agent in Thailand and you will find that it is much easier and cheaper.
Article Source: http://www.event-travel.org
Some Handy Asia Travel Tips
Travel is a great stress buster that helps in unwinding and relaxing from the normal schedule of daily life and checking out some of the amazing locales and tourist destinations of the world. However, if you are planning to go on a trip of Asia, make sure you have zeroed on a perfect tourist destination that you are willing to visit with your family and friends. Incase you are coming from an eastern nations; make sure you have proper information about the country or countries you are going to visit. It is very important that you have a clear idea bout the tourism industry of the area along with its geographical and climatic features. Therefore, make sure you have prepared yourself. If you are enthusiastic about historic places, Asian nations are well known for their historical heritage and rich culture.
In order to being your Asia travel trip, it is very important that you decide the country you want to visit and try to collect as much information you can upon places to visit and accommodation facilities. Once you decided a location, make sure you check the climatic features of the area such as the best season for tourist visit and related stuff.
It is better to get hold of a tour guide arranger who helps you out in finding the best tourist package solution while handling all the hotel bookings and site seeing facilities. However, part from all these basic intricacies; make sure that you take a travel protection by taking a vacation protection plan that helps in managing your travel investments. In order to get the cash benefit, make sure that you make early bookings so as to save from holiday rush. Incase you are going on an unknown place, security regulations and baggage allowance have to be checked in advance.
Incase your trip requires Visa and travel tickets, it is best to settle all the intricacies in advance so as to avoid any last minute rush or hassle. For international flights, it is very important to carry all the documents in appropriate order. In this matter, you can take the help of travel agent who offers you expert services of booking your flights and making the tour arrangement plan in an effortless way so that you do not face any difficulty in Asia trips. Apart from other preparations, packaging is one of the most important factors of managing your trip. It is better to carry clothes according to your trip. In case you are visiting a hilly region, make sure you keep your luggage light and handy. If you are traveling with your family, you can items as per the necessity. Make sure you keep all the necessary items so as to make your trip more convenient.
Lastly, you are going on a foreign trip; therefore, do not forget your camera or camcorder so as to capture the scenic locales that will form a part of your long cherished memory. So, plan your in advance and enjoy your Asia travel.
Article Source: http://www.event-travel.org
Some Important Tips to travel - USA
Traveling into distant and foreign land as USA is definitely full of exhilaration, but there are few things that should be decided well beforehand in order to avoid any inconvenience on the trip. The foremost thing in this is to check the important documents that you require, including your ID proof, passport, traveler’s checks, credit cards and visa. Make sure that you have written your contact details and name on these documents, in case they might get stolen or lost. It is important to make an itinerary of the important places that you want to explore in USA according to the number of days you have for the trip. Some of the panoramic scenic views can be witnessed in Central America that includes countries like Costa Rica.
Guatemala is another tourist attraction. Marine life and bird watching are the activities that can be enjoyed in USA. A good-quality camera is therefore a must to capture the best views of the place and to get back to them in nostalgic moments of life. However, it is most convenient, fastest, and luxurious and at times the most economical way as well to commute long distances by air in America, but if you have enough time, exploring the place by train is not a bad idea either. Buses are also quite an economical alternative.
When packing for America, it is better to focus more on the shoes that you wear than the clothes that will only make you stand out among them, as you may have to walk a lot while you visit various tourist attractions of USA. Do not forget to carry a warm jacket or a woolen sweater. Toiletries like toothbrush, condoms, towels and toothpaste are must on your trip. Also, important medicines along with their prescriptions are important to carry.
Apart from this, a first-aid kit that includes medication for pain relief, upset-stomach, decongestant and diarrhea are some other things that you may need during your trip to America. Not to forget, it is advisable to get a traveler’s insurance before you start on with your trip. This is especially important in case you are keen to do activities like rock climbing that may pose a risk to your life if there is even the slightest of mishap. Last but not least, private home, dorm site, camp, hotel, guesthouse and hostel are some of the choices that are available for visitors in USA.
No matter which option you may choose, location, cleanliness, safety, comfort, facilities and affordability are the aspects that should surely be looked into while selecting an accommodation for yourself. When it comes to food, just as America is an amalgamation of various cultures, so is the food that is made available here. From Italian pizzas to Mexican restaurants along with hamburgers of American style, everything is made available. People were of the opinion that fast food and non-vegetarian food is what America is all about, but this is not so. In fact, people are quite curious to lose their weight, so diet food and vegetarian food is also easily accessible these days.
Article Source: http://www.event-travel.org
Planning To Travel To Europe
Europe has a long history and is one of the most beautiful regions in the world. You must remember that Europe is not a place where you can suddenly reach and have fun. You need to plan accordingly and make sure that you have carried all your required documents with you. While facts differ depending upon which country you are visiting, but here are some general tips that can make your trip to Europe a memorable experience:
· You can contact a travelling agent who specializes in Europe travelling. Or in case you do not want to go to an agent and want to travel independently, you can educate yourself through Internet and that too much ahead of your time to go. You should be familiarized with the laws and customs of the area that you are visiting, including the traffic rules in case you are driving.
· Safety measures while travelling to Europe are very important. You must ensure that you have brought all your papers and documents in order, especially including your visa, passport and air tickets. It is recommended that you leave copies of these documents with your family and friends, so that they can fax them to you if you lose them anyhow or in case of emergency.
· It is advisable to get yourself registered with the Embassy when you arrive, because that will make it easy to locate you any time in case of any possible emergency.
· You should not keep all your cash in a single place, because if it is stolen, you will be left without a penny. For cash, you can also make use of ATMs, but as the fees are very heavy, you should limit your visit to the ATM to a minimum.
· If you want to save something on food, you should watch what the locals eat, and should find out which is the best local restaurant in the area.
· You can make use of hotel shuttles that are usually free of cost from the airport. Often, airport taxis are quite expensive and some corrupt taxi drivers may take you on longer routes in order to increase the fare. Most hotels in Europe offer cheap or free services of shuttles which will take you to the hotel from the airport, thus saving your taxi fare.
· Do not try to visit the whole Europe in a short period of time. In this case, you will not be able to enjoy the beauty of Europe, but will only burn yourself tired.
· You can also have some space for flexibility in your schedule. If you think that you have missed something or if you want to spend some more time on a beautiful spot, you should just do it, without caring for the strict schedule that you had planned at your home.
· While travelling within Europe, you should take Eurostar train instead of air travel. Eurostar train takes you to more than 100 tourist destinations in Europe. In addition to this, travel by train is a lot more exciting.
· Also do not forget to bring your power adaptors and batteries with you.
By following these simple tips, you can make your trip to Europe a life time experience and will ensure that you have fun and safety, all in all.
Article Source: http://www.event-travel.org
Thailand Travel Tips: Prepare to Arrival.
Among all of Asian countries, Thailand is one of the most popular destinations. The country has more than 10 millions foreign visitors throughout the year who go to various destination within the country. The word of mouth from people who have just visited Thailand to their friends and relatives and bring them to this popular tourist destination. However, for the first time visitors, it’s going to be very hard to prepare them on arrival. It might not be as complicated as going to other country but it’s still good to know before hand and this could help you reduce time and cost.
At the airport
There are some issues that may concern you for the visit. One of those is about visa that you have to obtain before get into the country. For people who holding passport for some countries that has diplomatic agreements with the Thai government and they can obtain visa on arrival to enter Thailand. There are 20 countries, which are; Kingdom of Bhutan, China and Taiwan, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. However, People from these countries are allowed to stay for vacation or business purposes not longer than 15 days, otherwise, they will need to have visa from the Thai embassy in the country of residence.
Get out of the airport
This maybe a bit strange but from my experience, it is some kind of fact. If you have planned for someone to pick you up at the air port, it may not be complicated suc as you may have an appointment with hotel or travel agent to pick you up on arrival because they will be waiting at the entrance of the arrival gate. But if you are the person who has no plan about airport transfer and wish to use public transport, it might be a little bit difficult. As the new international air port, Suvanabhumi Airport, still does not have mass public transport to get access. The only one type of transport here is take a taxi. This maybe quite costly for someone and also risk if you do not know the exact location of the hotel or destination that you want to go. However, you will find taxi service very easily and just use the service from airport taxi service which will cost you according to the distance + 50 THB for service charge.
Fortunately that many of taxi drivers now have been trained to speak and understand simple English. You can say some simple word to clarify your place or destination to them. But it’s still better if you know more detail of the hotel to ensure that the taxi drive under stand where it is. This is because sometimes there may be some hotels in the same name but different location, you may have to provide the exact location such as road or district etc. If you can do so, that will help you save a lot of money and time as well as make you feel save from lost in the Bangkok’s traffic which is very busy traffic jam, especially during rush hours.
Article Source: http://www.event-travel.org
Add More Thrill to Your Beach Travel by Some Simple Tips
Probably there is no single individual who do not love to travel. When you plan for a travel, the thrill begins from that particular moment and remains throughout the travel, and even when the travel session gets complete. Nevertheless, whether you set off for a local historical travel or a cross-country travel, following handy travel tips particularly while traveling to a beach which will make your travel experience much exciting and worthy.
Select beach towel according to your personality
The most important thing while beach traveling is the towel, which completely reflects your personality. The color of the towel and its content selection are greatly individualized. While large numbers of people opt for slender and fiber reactive towels as they get quickly easily dry, where as some like thick and big towels.
However, towels which are fiber reactive are definitely a good option for many as the quality of such towel do not hampers even after using it for some times. Nevertheless, it is purely your personal selection that you will select for your own exclusive beach roving experience.
Put on protective footwear at the time of beach travel
While you are getting thrilled to experience the magnificent prettiness of the marine surface, the ocean surface might cause some harm to your foot. Thus, it is always feasible to put on protective foot wear at the time when you travel to any ocean or sea shore to keep your foot sheltered from pointed or sharp edged kaput shells.
Few beaches also have an array of rocky stones and the jagged and sharp edges of the stone might cause some serious harm to your foot such as nasty cuts and many more. Though, canvas shoes may provide some protection, while booties are the finest option from all. Booties not only provide an extra shield but also protect your feet from venomous sea creatures, and also booties are quite attractive and appealing as well.
And, it does not matter whether you choose booties or sneakers to protect your foot, you should be always alert to not to put your foot anywhere and everywhere.
Carry indestructible container for Beverages
Most likely there is no option to take pleasure in beverages on the boat, beach, or pool or virtually at anyplace near water. One thing that you definitely need to take along is an apposite drink ware to make your beach travel experience more thrilling and exciting. The drink ware particularly made for beaches must be of very lightweight; thus, it is simple to bring wherever you want without getting much embarrassment or hassle.
Certainly there are several beverages and eatables that come in durable and nice, but drinking in a glass in the sea shore give the beach travel experience an additional element allover. Howe ever, for this, you should carry indestructible tumblers to take your beverages.
Last but not the least another tip for beach travelers is not to carry whole beach to their homes. There are many beaches that facilitates shower, wash it out as much as you can prior to coming back home to avoid bringing sand to home.
Article Source: http://www.event-travel.org
