Humans have discovered and stepped on almost every swath of terrain on the planet, yet there are still places that have not been explored. Modern spelunking expeditions are unlikely to produce such fantastical results as Jules Verne’s “A Journey to the Center of the Earth”, but there are still some stunning sights to behold. Here are nine amazing caves from around the world that will make your jaw drop:
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True to reality, but hard to accept easily.
Tips by Nina Slawek from Takeoffeh.com on McLeans.ca
Here’s a list of 5 pitfalls I’ve learned to avoid – the hard way.
DON’T
Get “deal” obsessed
It’s easy to get caught in the ‘deal’ surfing cycle. A lot of money is spent by discount travel operators to ensure their offerings appear temptingly at the top of search engine displays. But it doesn’t necessarily mean these are your best holiday options. Go crazy. Expand your search to include ideas which suit your tastes [music, food, surroundings], your needs [kids, rest, excitement] and dream vacation vision. Start out by imagining what makes you happy. For instance, are you active? Or, do you need peace and quiet? If it’s the latter, then a resort with hundreds of children and a busy Sea-doo rental operation may not be ideal – at any price. Start with what you want, then find it for a fair price. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Assume the airlines are out to ‘getcha’
Many consumers seem to approach booking a flight with the mindset that the airlines are just waiting to take advantage of them. And, unless they are extremely vigilant, they’ll end up overpaying. There’s a reason so many airlines go bankrupt: it’s extremely expensive to run one and the margins are razor thin. Especially here in Canada where the distances are massive and the populations small. Just like any other business in today’s tricky economy, airlines struggle to find the right price and product mix to ensure both customer and shareholder expectations are met. Contrary to popular belief, airlines are neither evil nor benevolent — it’s a business. Buy what works for you and stop worrying about it.
Get a travel agent to map out a full vacation itinerary, complete with hotel and activity recommendations – in the hope they will get the business – and then book it all yourself on the web. Some people brag about how they beat the system by operating this way. The only thing they should be bragging about is their lack of ethics. The travel agent makes his/her living accumulating and selling travel know-how. Not compensating a travel professional for their work is tantamount to stealing. If you only want the agent’s advice and plan on doing the transactions yourself, tell the agent in advance and pay them a service fee for their time.
Believe everything you read
Online review sites are a good thing, but you have to separate the wheat from the chaff and learn to recognize reviews by people with similar expectations to your own. If you’re looking at a hotel or resort review it’s worth spending some time going back a few pages to get a real feel for the place, not just some random opinions. It’s also worth checking Canadian review sites, not just the big ones, as you’ll find out what your neighbor thought about that Riviera Maya resort.
Try this at home
The DIY route is fine for simple trips. But, if your vacation involves several different components such as a cruise, connecting flights, an overnight hotel and a destination tour – it pays to have a travel agent coordinate the various elements. There are so many details which can topple your plans. During the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland, many flights were cancelled and passengers who booked and paid for cruises were left scrambling. Coordination of communications is vital should your flights be delayed or cancelled. Get that agent to advise you on your best insurance options too.
More good News for Travelers to Thailand. After restoring normalcy and winning the ‘World’s best city 2010′ by Travel + Leisure, now the US Department of State has canceled the Travel warning issued on May 27th 2010.
On July 6, 2010, the Thai Government renewed the emergency decree powers in 19 provinces but ended the emergency decree powers in 5 provinces.
On July 20, 2010, the Thai Government ended the emergency decree powers in 3 additional provinces, Lampang, Roi Et, and Sakon Nahkon.
However, the emergency decree powers remain in effect in the following provinces:
* Bangkok metropolitan area
* Ayutthaya
* Chaiyaphum
* Chiang Mai
* Chiang Rai
* Chon Buri
* Khon Kaen
* Maha Sarakham
* Mukdahan
* Nakhon Ratchasima
* Non Bua Lamphu
* Nonthaburi
* Pathum Thani
* Samut Prakan
* Ubon Ratchathani
* Udon Thani
All Travelers still need to exercise caution and vigilance at all times.
2010′s List of World’s Best - rated by the readers is out by Travel+Leisure
World’s Best Hotels 2010
#1 – Oberoi VanyaVilas, India
#2 – Triple Creek Ranch, Montana
#3 – Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Kenya
Bangkok, Thailand; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Florence, Italy; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; and Rome, Italy are the top five cities overall in Travel + Leisure’s 2010 World’s Best Awards readers’ survey, announced on 8th July. The Best City Overall, Bangkok, returns to the No. 1 spot, having last held that ranking in 2008, and this year marks San Miguel de Allende’s debut on the Top Ten Overall list.
With the increased popularity of river cruising, T+L has added a new 2010 category: World’s Best River Cruises; Abercrombie & Kent takes the top spot in this category. The Galápagos regains its title as World’s Best Islands from 2008 (Bali took the title in 2009). In the World’s Best Hotels Overall category, there are 31 properties in the U.S. and Canada—up 11 percent from last year and more than any other region this year.
Two companies have held onto their No. 1 rankings every year since the poll began in 1996: Crystal Cruises (Best Large-Ship Cruise Line) and Singapore Airlines (Best International Airline).
| WORLD’S BEST CITY | Bangkok |
| WORLD’S BEST HOTEL | Oberoi Vanyavilas Ranthambhore, India |
| WORLD’S BEST ISLANDS | Galápagos |
| WORLD’S BEST LARGE-SHIP CRUISE LINE | Crystal Cruises |
| WORLD’S BEST SMALL-SHIP CRUISE LINE | The Yachts of Seabourn |
| WORLD’S BEST RIVER CRUISE | Abercrombie & Kent |
| WORLD’S BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE | Singapore Airlines |
| WORLD’S BEST DOMESTIC AIRLINE | Virgin America |
| WORLD’S BEST TOUR OPERATOR | Micato Safaris |
| WORLD’S BEST CAR-RENTAL AGENCY | Hertz Rent-A-Car |
| WORLD’S BEST DESTINATION SPA | Rancho La Puerta Tecate, Mexico |
Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure, said: “That the three highest-ranking hotels this year are Oberoi Vanyavilas, a jungle camp on the edge of India’s Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve; Triple Creek Ranch, in Darby, Montana, a haven for comfort-seeking outdoor-adventure travelers; and Fairmont Mara Safari Club, in Kenya’s Masai Mara, speaks volumes. These properties provide distinctive encounters with the natural world, which linger in memory; they are perceived as delivering great value, even when the price-per-day is high. The spirit of exploration also prevailed in the choice of the Galápagos as Best Islands in the World, and of Bangkok as Best City. It’s worth noting that our survey took place before the political upheaval in Bangkok began in May, and that the U.S. travel warning has now been lifted.”
| CONTINENTAL U.S. + CANADA | |
| TOP RESORT | San Ysidro Ranch, A Rosewood Resort Santa Barbara, CA |
| TOP RESORT | Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Big Island |
| TOP LARGE CITY HOTEL | Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago |
| TOP SMALL CITY HOTEL | Hotel Bel-Air Los Angeles** |
| TOP INN | Triple Creek Ranch Darby, Montana |
| HAWAII | |
| TOP RESORT | Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Big Island |
| CARIBBEAN | |
| TOP RESORT | Nisbet Plantation Beach Club Nevis, West Indies |
| MEXICO | |
| TOP RESORT | Esperanza, An Auberge Resort Cabo San Lucas |
| TOP CITY HOTEL | Four Seasons Hotel México, D.F. Mexico City |
| CENTRAL + SOUTH AMERICA | |
| TOP CITY HOTEL | Alvear Palace Hotel Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| TOP RESORT | Blancaneaux Lodge San Ignacio, Belize |
| EUROPE | |
| TOP RESORT | Palazzo Sasso Ravello, Italy |
| TOP LARGE CITY HOTEL | Olissippo Lapa Palace Lisbon, Portugal |
| TOP SMALL CITY HOTEL | The Lanesborough London |
| TOP INN/SMALL COUNTRY HOTEL | Domaine des Hauts de Loire Onzain, France |
| AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST | |
| TOP LODGE/RESORT | Fairmont Mara Safari Club Masai Mara, Kenya |
| TOP CITY HOTEL | Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at the First Residence Egypt |
| ASIA | |
| TOP RESORT | Oberoi Vanyavilas Ranthambhore, India |
| TOP CITY HOTEL | The Peninsula Bangkok |
| AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND SOUTH PACIFIC | |
| TOP RESORT | Huka Lodge Taupo, New Zealand |
| TOP CITY HOTEL | The Langham Melbourne |
Travelers can get better rates when they abide by certain rules.
• Don’t book domestic airfares over the weekend, when prices can be considerably higher. In years past, sales lasted for a week or longer, but most of the sales we’ve seen this year have lasted only a few days. Eighty percent of the time, fares are launched on a Tuesday, and if the sale ends Friday, you will be out of luck when you go to book on Saturday or Sunday. You could end up paying double the fare.
• Avoid peak-travel days. Fridays and Sundays are the most popular days to fly, and you’ll usually pay a premium to travel on those days. Fares for Fridays and Sundays can be 30 or 40 percent higher than travel on other days of the week.
The cheapest fares are usually Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, so if you can be flexible, those are the days to book. As we approach fall, we probably will see deals on Mondays and Thursdays.
• Compare per-person fares to multiple-ticket fares. If you’re traveling with friends or family and are booking online, check the price for one passenger and then compare that to the per-person price for everyone in your party.
For example, if you’re traveling with a family of four, check the price for just one seat, and then check the price for all four seats. If the airline has three cheap seats left and you try to book four, you’ll automatically be bumped up into the next fare class that has four seats available. So if there are three seats left at $200 each and the next fare with four seats available is $300 each, you’d be charged $300 each for all four tickets.
If you check the price for one ticket and there’s a per-person price difference when you try to book four, check the price for one ticket, then two, then three. If you can get three cheap seats, book those and then book the fourth, more expensive ticket separately. It’s much better to pay higher for one ticket than for all four.
• Check alternate airports. Many travel sites, including Bestfares.com , allow you to check prices for airports near your first-choice destination. So if a nearby airport has a better price, you can see the savings.
This strategy can really pay off when you’re traveling with the family. We looked at late-August fares from Dallas to Baltimore and found round-trip fares were $334 to Baltimore-Washington and $271 to nearby Washington Reagan National. You could save $63 per ticket by flying into Reagan National; a family of four could save $252.
• Compare hotel and package rates. If you plan to cash in frequent-flier miles and you’ll be paying for a hotel, be sure to compare the hotel price to bundled package rates.
When we looked at a stay at the Ritz-Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the price of the hotel for a week was $2,000; a package rate for two travelers that combined air and hotel was $1,600. If you cashed in your miles in this scenario, you’d pay $400 more than the package rate, and you would have wasted your frequent-flier miles. Save those miles for another trip, and use the extra $400 during your vacation.
The monsoons are much awaited by one and all. They provide long sought respite from the scorching heat of the summers; but the rainy season brings with it, its own set of problems and health hazards.
When traveling at such a time or caught in the rain in a foreign land (especially India) – here are few things one must follow to stay away from any health related problems.
Thailand is recovering, and recovering really fast. The civil unrest and violence has settled down completely. The Thai government is doing a commendable job in not just trying to bring things back to normal but giving it the much needed boost. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the entire Thai tourism industry have rolled out a range of promotions, strategies, activities, and projects to help revive visitor arrivals which were affected by the recent political turmoil.
In its ongoing drive to restore confidence in Bangkok following the deadly May protests, the Tourism Authority of Thailand had launched a massive weekend celebration dubbed “Smile at Ratchaprasong” between 2-4th July in the area that was most hit.
Thailand’s prime minister said he believes a state of emergency will be lifted in many areas of the country soon.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his cabinet will resolve the controversial issue on Tuesday.
The Royal Thai Government has extended a range of measures to promote tourism, including a waiver of tourist visa fees until 31 March, 2011. At the same time, a committee of economic ministers has approved a new relief package for the tourism industry. The package includes the following measures:
The Airports of Thailand (AOT) has agreed to reduce many airport fees for nine months to assist airlines and related businesses.
The AOT will reduce landing fees by 15 per cent while the aircraft parking fee will be reduced by half. Rental fee inside airports as well as services and facilities fees will be cut by 10 per cent.
The situation is already returning to normal. According to official data, international passengers arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport totaled 540,788 in the period of 1-27 June, 2010, a decline of 6.8 per cent over the same period of 2009. This is a clear indication that the rate of decline has slowed significantly over the fall of 19 per cent in visitor arrivals in May 2010 over May 2009.
“UNWTO and its members stand behind Thailand,” Rifai said. “Valuable lessons and strategies used by other member states to confront similar crisis situations will be shared. This meeting also represents an expression of solidarity with Thailand from the international tourism community.”
Rifai praised Thai government efforts to revitalize the tourism industry, including a financial scheme for tourism entrepreneurs and small businesses affected by the unrest, exemption from the tourist visa fee for foreigners and a landing and parking fee discount for airports.
Source: CNNGo, TAT
