28 Jan 09 Taking your Pet on Holiday
Many people leave their pets behind when they go on holiday. However, if you don’t want to pay to board your pet or can’t find someone to watch your pets while you’re away, you may elect to take them on holiday with you. If you do, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, make certain your hotel allows pets. Many do not, and those that do usually charge an extra fee. Be certain you know how much this fee is and what, if any, special rules the hotel has for pets. You will also need to take food for your pet, and you may need to take a litter box, too. A pet carrier may also be necessary, especially if you are travelling by plane, train, or bus. That brings up the second point: know how your transportation system handles pets. Some may not allow pets to be transported at all. Others may have specific requirements for the type of pet carrier used. Make certain you understand all the fees and regulations for transporting your pet. Think carefully about what activities you plan on doing during your holiday. If you are primarily doing things you can’t take your pet to, it may be best to leave your pet at home. However, if you’ll be outdoors a lot, you can take your pet with you and give him some exercise. Just be aware that you’ll need to clean up any messes your pet makes!
Tags: holiday, hotel, travelling
22 Jan 09 Taking your Laptop Abroad
Many people, especially those going away on business, will take their laptop computers with them. However, this opens up a few new concerns that you have to deal with. First, if you’re travelling abroad, you need to make certain that you have a voltage adaptor. If you don’t, you may risk damaging your laptop by plugging it in to outlets that run on a different voltage. Be certain you know if you’ll need an adaptor or not, and if you do, be sure you get the correct one. It’s also a good idea to find out about internet access if you need it. Not all hotels provide internet access, and in some cases, you may have to pay for it. You may also have to go to an internet café or other location to get internet access. Always keep an eye on your laptop, especially if you’re using it in a public place and are alone. If you need to leave your table for any reason (to order or to go to the restroom, for example), take your laptop with you. It may seem like a huge hassle, but it’s better than having your laptop stolen. Be sure to write down the serial number and other important information about your laptop and your laptop accessories just in case it’s stolen. This way, you’ll be able to give the authorities all of the information they need to track down your computer. It’s also a good idea to make a copy of all of the information on your laptop and leave it in a secure place at home in case your laptop is stolen or damaged during travel.
Tags: hotels, travel, travelling abroad
12 Jan 09 Visiting Barcelona with Children
Barcelona, Spain, has a number of amazing things to do and places to see, but not all of them are meant for families with small children. However, Barcelona does have many activities that kids will enjoy. Here are a few places you may want to check out if you’re in Barcelona with your family.
The first is the zoo located in Parc Ciutadella. This is one of the larger zoos in Europe and will keep you and your family busy for an entire day. There are many different animals on display and different activities for children to enjoy. The Barcelona aquarium is another great place to take your children. It’s the largest aquarium in Europe and features a huge number of fish and other forms of sea life.
Kids may also enjoy riding the cable car from Barceloneta beach to Montjuic. The view at the top is amazing, although if you or your children are afraid of heights, you may want to pass on this.
If your children are a bit older and love sweets, a trip to the chocolate museum might be of interest to them. Here, you’ll get to see how chocolate is made and how it goes from the factory to the store. You’ll also, of course, get to try some samples and relax in the museum’s café at the end of the tour.
Whilst most Barcelona hotels are good quality, you will need to take extra care if taking children on holiday. It can be a nightmare if you pick a bad hotel when on holiday with children.
Poble Espanyol, located on Montjuic, is a fun place to explore after riding the cable car. This little village highlights many of the different architectural styles used in Spain. You’ll find many different craft shops featuring live demonstrations. There are some great kid’s activities in Poble Espanyol, many of which guide them in creating their own works of art. The Magical Fountain of Montjuic, a live show featuring water acrobatics, lights, music, and more, is also a fun activity for the entire family.
Tags: Barcelona, Europe, Parc Ciutadella, Spain
07 Jan 09 Renting a Car
For some trips, especially business trips, you may never need to leave your hotel. For other trips, especially holidays, however, you will probably want to get out and really enjoy the local sights. For this, you may actually need to rent a car. While it may not sound too difficult, there’s more to renting a car than you may think. First of all, you need to reserve your rental car as far in advance as possible. Many of the most popular cars get reserved very quickly, and if you don’t claim yours as soon as you can, you may find yourself stuck with a larger, more expensive car or with a tiny car that won’t fit everyone. You also need to shop around for rental cars. Most large cities have branches of the major rental car companies (Hertz, Enterprise, etc.), and some have better deals than others. You may also want to look at local rental companies. While they don’t always have as many selections as the bigger companies do, they may have better deals. Also look at weekly prices. Sometimes you can rent a car for a week for less than it would cost to rent it for five or six days. When booking a car, make certain you know when you can pick it up, where you can return it, and where you pick it up. Many rental car companies will allow you to pick up your rental car at or very near the airport, but if that’s not an option, you will need to arrange transportation from the airport to the car company. Also make note of the cancellation policy. If you have to cancel your trip or decide you don’t need a rental car, make certain you know what penalties, if any, you’ll have to pay for cancelling.
Tags: business trips, hotel, rent a car, rental car, rental companies
06 Jan 09 Cancelling Your Holiday
No one wants to do it, but sometimes life simply interferes with your plans and you have to cancel your holiday. It can be more than disappointing, though - cancelling your plans can actually be very frustrating, and not just because you won’t get to travel. You may, in fact, actually lose money! One of the most important things to know when booking transportation, lodging, and event tickets is the cancellation policy. Many places do allow you to cancel up to 24 or 48 hours in advance, but some, especially events, may not allow refunds at all. If that’s the case or if you’re cancelling at the last minute, there are a few things you can do. First, of course, is that you can just take the loss. However, if you were planning to travel with friends or relatives, you can ask if you can transfer the reservation or ticket to them. This way, at least someone gets to make use of it. You can also ask if you can have credit instead of your money back. Some businesses are willing to give credit for a later stay or ticket but are not willing to refund money. Because of these policies, it’s very important that if you are going to have to cancel your holiday that you cancel it as early as you can to avoid penalties. If you’re cancelling a trip, it probably means you’re already caught up in anxiety over something. There’s no need to be even more anxious about losing money. If, however, the reason you’re cancelling is because of something that does not actually conflict with the dates of your trip (such as losing your job or an unforeseen expense), you may still want to take the holiday. If you can’t get all of your money back, why lose it? Take a break, get out of town, and worry about other situations once you get back.
Tags: holiday, lodging, reservation, transportation, travel
06 Jan 09 Visiting Oslo
Oslo, Norway, is the capital of the Scandinavian country. Founded in 1624, Oslo has had several names over the years, but it has always featured beautiful architecture and a great view of the ocean. As the largest city in Norway, Oslo is home to over 500,000 people. While it is a fun holiday location for those looking for something a bit different, it’s not cheap—Oslo is ranked as one of the most expensive places to live and visit in the world, but that does mean there are some fantastic hotels in Oslo. However, this shouldn’t deter you from visiting the city and seeing everything it has to offer.
If you’re looking for something very unique and very Norwegian to see while you’re in Oslo, check out the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. In addition to featuring many great works of art and providing historical information about the city and Norway, there’s one impressive sight that must be seen: the Viking ship housed in the Viking Ship Museum. There are actually several ships in the museum, the most famous of which are the Gokstad and Oseberg ships. These vessels are incredibly old but amazingly preserved.
If seeing old boats isn’t exactly exciting to you, you might want to spend some time wandering around Oslo. You can visit the Oslo City Hall, for example. The City Hall is the location of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and many famous dignitaries from around the world have walked its halls. You can also see the Royal Palace, the Oslo Cathedral, or the Storting, Norway’s parliament building.
If you’d like to take in a show, Oslo has several different venues. They include the Oslo Opera House and the New National Opera House. Another fun way of spending the day is to take a tour of the botanical gardens. If you’d rather do some exploring, you can take a ferry out to Oslofjord islands.
Tags: holiday location, Nobel Peace Prize, Norway, Oslo, Scandinavia, Viking Ship Museum
