Tag: advice

Unaccompanied Minor Fees on Planes Rising

Unaccompanied Minor Fees on Planes Rising

The following are tips you should follow prior to purchasing tickets to have your children fly as unaccompanied minors:

  • Check for airline updates and additional fees, which often vary widely and can change on short notice. It is best to call the airline dircectly when determining the fees you will be responsible for.
  • Some airlines waive the unaccompanied minor fee for children who have achieved frequent flier status. It is less likely that a child has enough miles to capitalize on this perk.
  • Some airlines do not allow unaccompanied minors to fly after 9 p.m., on the last flight of the days, or if bad weather may result in flight delays.
  • Several carriers will give children snacks, while others will not charge checked bag fees for minors, and a few airlines charges only a single fee for two or more children traveling on the same flight.
  • Some airlines charge unaccompanied minor fees only for children age 5 to 11.  Others charge this fee for teens as old as 15.
  • Thoroughly read the airlines rules and have the required phone numbers and identification information ready when you arrive at the airport.
  • Make paper copies of everything, including the airline’s posted unaccompanied minor policy.  This is particularly important since the advice of reservation agents at the airport sometimes conflicts with an airline’s posted rules.
  • Give your child snacks, cash, a charged cell phone, emergency phone numbers and activities to keep them occupied.  Tell your child what should be done in the event something goes wrong.

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Peru – Independent Travel Tips on Where to Go and Visit

Peru – Independent Travel Tips on Where to Go and Visit

Independent travel advice for Peru

IF you are travelling over land from Ecuador in to Peru you will probably arrive first in Piura a fairly uninteresting border town.  From here it is a further 4 – 6 hours to Chicalayo which has a few half decent places to stay (try www.hoteltumbasreales.com).  From here you can travel on to Huanchaco – a beach side resort where you can watch the local fishermen bring in the catch on their straw boats.  There are some good restaurants along the sea front and good hostels here.  Near Hunachaco is the town of Trujillo with some interesting architecture and also the Chan Chan ruins (very reminiscent of star wars).

Lima is the capital and transport hub for the country so difficult to avoid. The capital doesn’t offer much to stick around for but if you’ve been backpacking on a shoestring for a bit and want some creature comforts – head to Mina Flores for some decent accomodation, bars & restaurants.  Most of the hostels are on this modern island with in the city but you will find significantly cheaper prices in the old part of the city.

Peru is a great country from which to explore the Amazon.  You can fly direct from Lima to Iquitous in the centre of the Amazon – this rainforest town is only accessible by air or water.  You will be swamped with taxi drivers offering you their recommendations for accomodations and tour companies so be prepared to defend your personal space upon exiting the terminal.  Shop around and negotiate when choosing the tour company to go with – local guides will offer you authentic experiences in isolated villages (often involving all night ferry journeys down the Amazon river accompanied by all kinds of animals, livestock, fish & produce) …. a fantastic experience but be prepared to rough it – no running water or electricity!  Alternatively there are lots of luxury options available which may be don’t provide the authentic Amazon experience, & the treat of getting to know the locals, but are perhaps more suitable for the squeamish (expect to be getting up close & personal with all things that creep and slither)!  Remember to bring tons and tons of very strong deet insect repellent with you – the mosquitos are every where, love the blood of a ‘gringo’ & are strong enough to bite through clothing … even jeans!

Highlights of the Amazon include fishing for Piranhas in little wooden canoes with your fishing rod / twig & string – these canoes are very flimsy so don’t rock the boat!  For the very brave a swim in the Amazon is an amazing experience and if you’re with the locals expect some mud slinging matches – if you’re very lucky you will get up close to the famous pink dolphins, but unlike their salt water cousins this rare breed are pretty shy.  Obviously the Amazon offers many an encounter with wildlife of all shapes & sizes – snakes, spiders, toucans, monkeys are some of the most common spots.  On our trip we actually camped a night under the stars in the heart of the Amazon jungle with nothing for protection but banana leaves under our sleeping bags – with the fireflies for nightlights it was truly spectacular but definitely not an experience for the faint hearted!

The Inca trail is undoubtedly a highlight of any visit to South America and is certainly the jewel in the crown of any backpackers visit to Peru.  While it is certainly hard work it is entirely possible for any one of average fitness and doesn’t demand any specific training – just take your time, pace yourself and if you’re worried about altitude sickness invest in some pills before you depart Cusco.  The trail is very peaceful – walkers are limited to only 200 people a day so you can walk for quite long distances with out seeing any other tourists.  It is an amazing feeling to tread the path of the Incas, witness some of the most incredible views on this earth and almost feel alone while doing so.  The access limitations do mean that you need to book your place on the trail well in advance however.  Tours differ in price from the very basic ‘carry your own backpack’ (only for the very fit) to the norm of basic food & accomodation with porters to carry all camping, food and personal luggage, all the way up to the very luxurious camping and food options.  We took our tour with the midrange option – Gap Adventures, enjoyed every second and would highly recommend them.  Day 2 is the hardest of the 4 – the ascent of ?dead womans pass` – but the views at the top are well worth it and you will feel a great sense of achievement once you reach them.  The porters are an integral part of the Inca Trail experience, there are a total of c. 300 of them per day on top of the 200 walkers .. we had 12 porters for 6 of us in our group.  Each porter carries about 25 kilos on their backs and they lug this up literally vertical slopes and then back down again … at a run and in flip flops!!  It?s unbelievable to see … apparantly one of the porters actually managed to complete the whole Inca trail (with out any weight on his back though) in 3 hours 45 minutes … this is a trail which takes all the tourists 4 days!  The porters run ahead of the walkers and then set up camp for lunch, then go ahead again to set up camp for dinner and tents for the night.  When we walked it there were porters as old as 58 in our group and apparantly there were 70 year old porters still working the trail!  Having a very knowledgable guide who speaks good english makes a big difference to the experience so do your research when picking a tour company.  The last stretch of the trail is begun at 4am on the 4th morning to ensure you’ll arrive at the sun gate in time to see the sun rise and mist roll off the valley to reveal Machu Picchu.
East of Cusco on the border with Bolivia is Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world.  Take a boat tour out on to the lake to visit the amazing floating reed islands of the Uros people.  The community here have been making their homes from the reeds of the lakes and living upon them since pre incan times.  Walking on the islands as they bob up and down is a very strange experience but the reeds are layered up very thick as the islanders simply add a layer every time they feel concern over sinking!  It is also possible to stay in home stays on some of the bigger non reed islands of the lake – very basic accomodation with no running water or electricity but a real chance to witness the local way of life which has remained unaltered for generations.

Last Minute Travel Tips

Last Minute Travel Tips

As with any holiday, there are a number of travel tips that you can follow to make you holiday more successful and exciting. Follow these simple tips and ensure that your holiday on Phillips Island is a smashing success:

·         Avoid travelling to Phillip Island during the wettest seasons in July and August, as the weather may well play spoilsport and keep you from engaging in all the activities that you would like to.

·         Respect the island! Do not litter the areas that you visit and do not disturb the wildlife and plants.

·         Don’t forget to carry some form of acceptable identification. You never know where you may end up going and when you may need it.

·         Always remember to take great care when exploring the island’s lesser developed areas. Many of them have rough terrain and dangerous sea fronts that lash powerful waves on the rocks. You may put yourself in danger by exploring these areas unsupervised or alone.

·         Start your vacation a day before you are supposed to leave. This simple yet effective measure will allow you to have time to finish all of the little miscellaneous items that you may have to do before you leave. It will also ensure that you are not in some sort of maddening rush to finish work and get out of the office,

·         If you need to do any shopping before you go on your trip, make sure you do it well in advance. Leaving shopping for miscellaneous items such as toiletries to the last minute is a recipe for disaster.

·         Make a list of all the things that you need to carry as well as what you need to do. This will ensure that you do not forget anything and spend your holiday stressing about it. People flying out of the country have been known to forget their passports at home so there is no item too small to include on a checklist.

·         Get to the airport well in time. This is something that most people know that they should do, but never end up doing! The faster you get to the airport, the more stress you avoid waiting in long queues. Being agitated and waiting in a long line is no way to start your holiday and sets a bad precedent.

·         Take some time to relax and be by yourself. Even in the airport, having a few moments of alone time can have a big influence on your demeanour. This will also allow you to maintain a positive attitude throughout and ensure that you do not unintentionally snap at the friends or family members that are accompanying you on holiday.

If you are planning to travel to Phillip Island at any point in the near future, the best piece of travel advice that anyone can give you is to explore the accommodation options available and book them well in advance. For more information on the wide variety of accommodation options available on Phillips Island, please visit http://www.rentphillipisland.com.au.

Hitchhiking Abroad – 6 Practical Tips for the Backpacker

Hitchhiking Abroad – 6 Practical Tips for the Backpacker

Hitchhiking can be a cheap way to travel. And you can also meet some interesting people, but as any other means of transportation it has its risks. Here are 7 tips to make hitchhiking easier:

1. When you hitchhike, make sure that you pick a safe place to hitchhike from where the cars can stop safely and easily to pick you up. Avoid places where the car may risk being hit by following cars if it stops to pick you up.

2. There are different tactics you can use to hitchhike. You can hitchhike by standing by the side of the road and try to get vehicles passing by to stop and pick you up. Find a good location where the drivers can see you early.

3. Another tactic is to go to gas stations and try to get the drivers stopping there to give you a ride.

4. Wear clean and nice clothes, smile at the cars and look as normal as you can. Put yourself in their position, would you pick up someone who looks like you?

5. Hand gestures mean different things in different countries. Find out which gesture is appropriate for indicating that you want to hitchhike. The thumbs-up sign may actually be an insult. In some countries your put out your hand flat and wave it up and down to indicate that you want a ride.

6. An alternative to making a hand gesture is to draw a sign indicating where you want to go. Make the sign large and legible.

By following the above advice I hope that you get to have some great hitchhiking experiences, happy travels!