Travelers stories

Essential Items For a Successful Snowboarding Holiday

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

For those of you that enjoy the exhilarating sport of snowboarding or are planning on giving it a go, there are 5 essential pieces of equipment that you must take with you if you want to have a successful snowboarding holiday.

1. Proper Equipment: This includes boards, boots, and bindings, it is essential that all your equipment is in good condition and are suitable for your level of expertise.

2. Clothing: It is imperative that you wear proper clothing, everything you wear should be waterproof, breathable and should fit properly. Remember wearing numerous thin layers is the way to go.

3. Protective Gear: You should take your personal safety very seriously and make sure you have all the essential safety items with you. A helmet is must to protect your head from any knocks, goggles are also a good idea, sun block cream and lip balm will make sure your skin is well protected.

4. Water: It is vitally important that you drink plenty of water when your out on the slopes, it is essential that you don’t allow yourself to become dehydrated.

5. Vitals: You will of course need a lift pass and holder, also some money is required because your going to get real hungry burning up those slops.

6. Energy Supplies: I wouldn’t bother with those fancy energy bars, take 6 mars bars with you, and a couple of cans of energy drink.

7.  Backpack: Is of course required to carry your supplies.

Why don’t you head to the dry ski slopes for some snowboarding practise before the winter snowboarding season begins again. It will help you to get into peek snowboarding shape and avoid all those first few days of aches and pains.

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Suitcase Advice, I know It’s Boring, But Don’t Become a Victim!

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

The boring old suitcase, I never thought I would be writing an article on something so unexciting and trivial. A few weeks ago I flew on a UK internal flight, from Aberdeen to Heathrow. Nothing too different during this journey, the usual BMI delay at the start of the flight.

The fun began when it was time to collect the luggage, all i can say is that someone working within the baggage handling at Heathrow must have been annoyed about something! As I was patiently waiting for my bag, I couldn’t help but notice there were not one but three suitcases that had been busted open and all the contents were coming along the conveyor belt. Another guy was almost in tears as he discussed the damage that had been done to his new very expensive hard silver Samsonite suitcase on its first journey.

I personally had a bad suitcase experience last year, when I was flying back from Barbados. A suitcase owned by some bright spark, had at some point during my suitcases journey started to leak on to mine. It was a disgusting and stinking liquid that had penetrated my bag, which may well have been from fish. Some paper documents which were in the suitcase, had been destroyed, luckily I had copies held online. My suitcase was obviously not water proof.

So what is the best kind of suitcase to travel with? A hard one, or one of those fabric ones, with wheels or  without wheels?

The good thing about hard suitcases is that they are obviously waterproof and the contents shouldn’t get too squashed during the journey. The downside to hard suitcases is that they seem to get scratched, knocked and are more easily damaged. They also generally don’t stand up to wear and tear as good as fabric ones. I must admit I have in the past owned a hard suitcase which was damaged beyond repair during a flight.

Fabric suitcases are generally longer lasting and harder wearing in comparison to hard suitcases, but most of them, if any, are not waterproof, but you can get ones with a vinyl like zip able interior, which may keep the rain off your belongings for a short period of time. Your contents in a fabric suitcase will of course get extremely squashed, during any flight. They can also get slashed open if they somehow get caught up in something they shouldn’t, believe me it occasionally happens, you know how careful baggage handlers are!

You would have to be either cheap or stupid not to buy a suitcase that comes with wheels and a sturdy pulling handle. I hear the voices of dissent, but you get luggage trolleys at either end of the airport. Do you get trolleys at your house? do you get them when you leave the airport? do you get them at your hotel? do they go up escalators? There will be countless occasions when you will wish you had wheels on your luggage bags. I have witnessed numerous people struggling like crazy with wheelless bags at airports and in the street.

As you can see, there are pro’s and con’s to both, fabric and hard suitcases. I think it just come down to luck at the end of the day whether your suitcase survives a journey. If you are using a fabric one and your carrying valuable paper documents, put them in a waterproof holder. One of my friends had their wedding License destroyed when something leaked on to their baggage during a flight back home from Barbados.

Weight is also a factor when traveling nowadays, I was recently traveling on UK internal fight, and as you know the luggage allowance is not very good, and nowadays they will charge you extra without blinking, if you go over your baggage allowance weights! Before I packed my very pretty looking and I may also say, fairly expensive suitcase, I weighed it without anything in it, and it weighed an unbelievable amount, almost 5kg. Needless to say that suitcase is now history!

When buying a suitcase, put a little bit of effort into the process, test it out, pull it along the shop floor and get a feel for it, make sure that it does what it is supposed to do. My wife bought a new suitcase not so long ago, and the trolley handle is too short, which makes it very difficult to pull along the ground, she is only 5,4 and she struggles with it!

All I would recommend is that you must have a wheeled suitcase with a sturdy pulling handle, and don’t make extra work for yourself by buying one of those massive suitcases that look as big as a bed. You could spend all day at your destination upon arrival waiting for a taxi that it will fit in!

My advise to you is, chose your suitcase wisely, do not become the next victim of a second rate, unsuitable and useless suitcase!

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Essential Relocation Tips

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Relocating is a major decision, especially when an entire family moves from one city to another. It has an impact on the financial status, daily routine of an individual and his or her contacts with friends and family.

The cost of living is higher in many cities, giving rise to the need for a bigger pay packet. A thorough study of the job market is essential. Though employment opportunities may be plentiful, due consideration must be given to finding a job appropriate to ones qualifications.

Moving can be a trying time for many children. Often, family and friends are left behind. Children should be made to feel included in the relocation process and be made fully aware of where they are going. By being part of the relocation process, a child feels more involved and informed, reducing their levels of tension and fear. It is essential to ease their transition into a new home. Giving priority to their rooms, letting them join community organizations and escorting them to school in the initial stages of relocation, gives them a feeling of security.

On arrival in a new city, it is best to make use of the telephone directory and the Yellow Pages to locate local retailers, grocery stores, government agencies, and service providers.

The local motor vehicle office must be approached for vehicle registration and a driver’s license. Prior to reporting for a new job, it is important to unpack, relax and get acquainted with neighbours.

Often, when people relocate, they have a need for interim housing. Realtors assist people find suitable interim or permanent homes.

Strategic planning and research on the city of one’s choice can ward off problems and minimize potential headaches involved with relocation. If planned well, moving can be an exciting and memorable experience.

Author Ross Bainbride, Relocations Expert

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Tell Me, What Cities Should Be Avoided Like the Plague?

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

Do your duty as a fellow, traveller, tourist, holidaymaker or day-tripper and make the world aware of must not visit destinations. Save other people the pain and suffering that you had to go through when you visited a location from hell.

Leave your comments, name and shame those places and what makes them so bad, what you hated so much about them and why you would recommend people stay away.

My own recommendation for people to not visit, is Dundee, I would recommend that you pass through this ugly and grimy looking cesspool as quickly as possible. If you hang around for too long you could catch the plague!

Dundee is a City that has very little going for it; the only thing that I like about it, is when I’m leaving it. It’s a pity they don’t have a ring road around the city, so that you don’t have to drive through it.

I think the official government figures for Dundee kind of sums the place up perfectly, 1 in 3 of the citizens of Dundee live in areas of deprivation; it also has twice the Scottish average for babies born to mothers under 17. Young girls see it as a way of avoiding work and being able to live of the social!

Dundee isn’t a pretty city, any history it may once of have had, it seems to have been allowed to be bulldozed down in the 60’s and 70’s by inbred, inept and short sighted councillors, who deemed it there master plan to make Dundee one of the ugliest City Centres in the UK

If   for some inexplicable reason you are stuck in Dundee and you need to fill in a couple of hours, the only thing I could recommend is that you pay the RRS Discovery a visit.

Dundee may well be my city from hell, but I suppose there are people out there that like visiting strange places.

Now leave some comments regarding your own personal villages, towns, or cities that should be avoided like the plague.

For those of you planning on visiting Scotland, here is some great places to visit, 10 Must Visit Places In Scotland That Everyone Should Visit

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The Importance of the Humble Travel Neck Pillow, Don’t Fly Without One!

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Whenever I travel I do everything that I can personally do, to make sure that my journey is as comfortable as possible. For me one of the most uncomfortable and annoying forms of travel is flying, the seats are never comfortable and without fail I would come off a flight with a sore and stiff neck.

In the past I would just accept it, as the downside of travelling and anyway it would usually sort itself out after a few hours or days if it was a long haul flight. But as I got older and wiser I started to think about things more and the desire for making my travel journeys more comfortable become a priority.

Why should I suffer when travelling, if there is something that can be done to make my journey more comfortable? I had in the past noticed fellow travellers on flights with travel neck pillows, I must admit I use to be a sceptic and wasn’t willing to waste my hard earned money on such a devise.

But 3 years ago I was facing a 7-hour flight to Barbados, when I thought, I better give a travel neck pillow a go. I had a look at an inflatable one, it had some advantages, it wasn’t going to take up much space, and it only cost about £5, but I absolutely hated the feel of the material on my skin, in fact it made my skin crawl it felt so bad.

With a little bit of help from the master of the universe Google, I found a huge choice of different travel neck pillows. I eventually settled on one filled with micro beads, which has a nice soft removable cover and it even comes with its own travel case. It may take up more room that an inflatable one, but I would rather sacrifice other things. Since I don’t want to come across as if I’m doing a paid advertisement, I will not name the name of the company I  purchased it from.

My travel neck pillow is now my perfect travel companion, it is shaped to perfectly support the neck when travelling. I have used it to my benefit on planes, trains and even ferries. I quite frankly won’t travel without it. It’s awesome.

All I can say is that, I paid under £10 for my neck travel pillow and I’m not exaggerating when say it has made a massive difference to the way my neck feels when I come off a flight, whether it’s a 2 hour flight or a 22 hour fight.

A travel neck pillow may be a humble and cheap piece of travel equipment, but for me it is a must have item.

For those about to travel, here are some tips that wont do you any harm to take a look at Ten Tips Before You Travel and 10 Essential Items That You Should Take On Holiday!

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So You Wanna Escape The Rat Race, Is it Really All It’s Cracked Up To Be!

Monday, June 9th, 2008

You have had enough of wherever you are living, the UK, USA, Canada France, Germany etc, for some of us the grass seems a wee bit greener somewhere else. It is a commonly said phrase, escaping the rat race. But is the grass any greener somewhere else. For many people the illusion is created by being on holiday to some sunny destination. One, two or more weeks lazing in the sunshine, boozing it up, relaxing and taking things easy, creates an illusion of a better living environment, a better country to live in.

What many people forget, is that things don’t quite seem so fantastic when you have to go and find a job in your newfound paradise. Or you head to paradise, not realising that the business you have bought or are starting up, is going to involve a lot of hard work. Your goal of an easier more fulfilling life isn’t turning out the way you planned it.

For the realists out there, escaping the rat race is a full filling, liberating and rewarding experience, and the benefits far outweigh the downsides, which there is and will be.

For those seeking to escape the rat race, there will be many different reasons behind this way of thinking, the weather, crime, cost of housing, hate your job, needing a new challenge or experience. Everyone will have their own mitigating factors as to why they want to leave their home country. You have to seriously think about what you are trying to escape and will it really be any better some place else, whether you’re working for yourself or for someone else.

For me personally I have spent 3 years thinking about it and a combined total of 10 weeks on holiday in my soon to be new home Barbados. For me personally I look forward to the challenge of living in and creating a new home in the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados.

I can’t wait for the hard work and challenges of running my own businesses, a climate that I love, being able to breed my own animals for food and grow many of my own fruits and vegetables, I crave the slower pace of life and being in an environment where people aren’t constantly rushing around. I’m well aware of the downsides to moving to and living in Barbados, but I willingly accept them.

Only time will tell whether my dream of escaping the rat race, is really all its cracked up to be. I will be heading to Barbados with a positive frame of mind and a willingness to embrace my new home and lifestyle.

I loved Barbados so much that I even decided to get married there, Barbados the Perfect Wedding Location!

Another great article on escaping the rat race can be found here, Escaping the Rat Race in Scotland, Just Do it!

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Goodbye In 12 Different Languages, Show Some Respect and Say Farewell Properly!

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

For those of you that are lucky enough to be travelling to a foreign land in the near future, why don’t you make a real effort and learn some of the local lingo. You will be surprised how easy it is to learn at least a few common greetings.

Your foreign hosts will be impressed and they will appreciate the effort, in many cases especially in bars and restaurants it will mean an even better quality of service.

To get the ball rolling, I have put together a list of goodbye in 12 languages:

Arabic - Salaam

Chinese - Joi gin

English - Goodbye

French - Au revoir

German - Auf Wiedersehen

Greek - Xaire

Japanese - Sayonara

Italian - Arrivederci

Russian - Do svidanja

Spainish - Adiós

Swahili - Kwa heri

Turkey - Hoşça kalın

Be a respectful tourist this year and show your hosts that you are glad to be out of your own country and in theirs.

Goodbye, different, languages,

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Hello In 12 Different Languages, Show Some Respect & Greet People Properly!

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

When I go on holiday I always make an effort to learn a few words of the local language, it shows some manners and respect for the country you are travelling in. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to learn a few of the basic words and the locals will appreciate your efforts.

Don’t be like your typical American or British tourist who expects the world to speak English and if they don’t that’s their problem! Show some class and make the effort.

To get the ball rolling I have put together a list of HELLO in 10 languages:

Arabic - Al Salaam a’ alaykum

Chinese- Ni hao

English - Hello

French - Bonjour

German - Guten Tag

Greek - YahSU

Japanese- Konichiwa

Italian - Ciao

Russian - Zdravstvuite

Spainish - Hola

Swahili - Jambo

Turkey - Merhaba

From a personal point of view learning a few basic words is part of the joys of travelling and it adds to the whole experience, if you are not sure how to pronounce a word all you have to do ask a friendly looking local, it isn’t hard to do, don’t be shy.

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10 Essential Items That You Should Take On Holiday!

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

This is my list of what I perceive to be essential items that I take on holiday with me. If you have any ideas of things that you feel are essential for travellers, leave a comment.

1. Travel Insurance: Probably the most important thing you should make sure you have before you go away on holiday. Don’t be one of those cheapskates that you here saying, it will never happen to me. Make sure you do your research and study what your getting for your money. Don’t just buy it because it’s the cheapest. I have first hand experience of having to claim from an insurance policy and it saved me over £1500 in costs.

2. First Aid Kit: Get a good one, not one of those that cost £1.99 and offer you little plasters and some savlon. Get a decent one, which includes a dental repair kit, diarrhoea tablets, sickness tablets, insect repellent, tweezers etc.

3. Money Belt: A money belt is essential for keeping important items and money safe. Get one made of fabric that won’t get drenched in sweat and is waterproof.

4. Handle Scale: If you are the type of person that always buys lots of goodies when you’re on holiday, this item is essential. Nowadays you will be more than aware how strict airlines have become regarding baggage weights. If you exceed the airlines limits, you will pay heftily for it.

5. Torch: This is an essential piece of equipment; get one of those powerful mini torches that you can easily carry with you. Also make sure you know where it is when you go to your bed at night. You never know when there is going to be a power cut and believe me it will be essential.

6. Compressing Pack: Are great invention which is basically a plastic bag that you put your clothes in, which when rolled up, air gets pushed out through special valves and as a result they save you space in your suitcase.

7. Luggage Straps: These will help to provide extra support and make your luggage extra secure. We are all well aware of the rough handling that our luggage receives once you put it through check in at the airport. How often have you seen busted open bags coming through on the conveyor belt and  with the contents all over the place. If only the skinflints had spent a measly £2.00 on a luggage strap they could have avoided the stress. They are also great for quickly identifying your luggage when it comes through.

8. Neck Pillow: I would recommend one of these for anybody going on a flight, get an inflatable one which takes up very little room. Yes they do work and they are worth it, a little bit of extra comfort when flying.

9. ipod: You know when your travelling, especially when your flying that there is going to be delays, or the choice of onboard entertainment is going to be crap. Make sure you bring your ipod because when things get crazy, you can just listen to your favourite tunes and the world will seem a slightly better place.

10. Large Bag of Jelly Babies: These have saved my life along with my ipod, during  crazy airport delays. My favourites are the green ones and the black ones.

A near perfect list from my perspective, this wee lot works every time for me!

For those of you that are interested in gadgets here is a list of great essential travel gadgets Top Ten Essentall Travel Gadgets

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