When it comes to attractions, I start by researching Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor Bureau’s websites. Just Google the city name and Chamber or CVB and you should be able to find it fairly quickly. If you have time before you leave, request any written information that they can send you. While you are e-mailing or calling them, ask them to tuck in any coupons or brochures they have on hand for the area. They don’t mind doing this if they know you are definitely visiting the area.

Many will plan out your itinerary for you if you ask as well! This is an amazing free service and will save you time trying to map out routes and admission times. They know their city better than anyone should and can offer advice as well. Keep in mind with Chambers of Commerce that they are unlikely to recommend anyone who is NOT a member of their organization.

The way I find the best restaurants in town is to ask the locals. Just because a restaurant is splashed all over every website and piece of literature you come across, does not mean they are the best, it just means they have money to advertise. Anytime you are on the phone with someone local whether it’s the hotel, or an attraction, ask them to recommend a restaurant. They live there! They know where to eat and where to avoid at all costs. Some of the best restaurants I have eaten at have never done any advertising because they DON’T NEED TO. They stay in business by reputation alone.

Keep doing the same with attractions, night clubs, beaches, parks, etc. Ask the locals! If you call to make a dinner reservation, ask the lady on the phone, “by the way, what would you consider the most happening night club in town” and you can bet she will have an opinion. Once you are armed with all of this information, plot it out on your online map, research a little and you will be surprised with all of the information available, typically posted by someone who has been there and loved it!

Search with the name of your attraction or restaurant and then add the word “discount” or “coupon” to your search. This can be a gold mine of discounts that are free for the printing! Go to the websites (if available) and you can find discounts, coupons, freebies, or find out that Thursday is Prime Rib night.

Call the restaurant or attraction directly. Ask them if there are any coupons out there that you should be aware of. Many times amusement parks will issue discount coupons with considerable savings to local fast food chains or grocery stores. They are meant to draw in locals, but hey, if they are out there go and get them!

Save yourself time by making reservations for meals when possible. You can always cancel them later, but why wait in line for 2 hours if they will let you reserve an ocean view table ahead of time! If you are celebrating a special occasion while you are there (birthday, honeymoon, anniversary, retirement, promotion), tell anyone who will listen when you are on the phone. We have received upgrades on our flights and hotels and have received free appetizers and desserts at countless restaurants. Everyone likes to help make somebody feel special or celebrated. Don’t make things up, but I bet if you think really hard you can think of something to celebrate, even if it’s your 5th honeymoon!

By doing a little research from home, you will save money when you arrive! I hope you will all put these practices to use for your next vacation, but if after you finish reading this the idea of booking your own vacation makes you feel exhausted, there is a solution. Call a Travel Agent.

We receive updates, e-mails, videos, booklets, brochures, and faxes every day! All of the steps I just described over these three articles are what you are paying your travel agent to do. We have “preferred suppliers” who we know will take care of our clients every time. We educate ourselves on the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions so that you DON’T HAVE TO! We even do site inspections to make sure they are still holding up to the standards we expect for our clients.

So for those who think the travel industry is all glitz, glamour, and fabulous free vacations, I hope you can now see what all is involved with planning a simple vacation. We definitely work hard for our money but we do it because we know that you can’t put a price on a memorable vacation. Happy travels!

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If the hotel website does not have a better deal, call them and tell them the rate you found online and they will either match the rate, beat the rate, or match and give you an upgrade or special amenities like spa passes, meal vouchers, etc. Start a list of what each property offers, DO NOT BOOK ANYTHING YET! Wait until you have all of your information (research) and then make an informed decision on your home away from home. This is an important decision and should not be made quickly or without doing your research. A good or bad hotel experience can make or break your vacation that you have waited and worked for, believe me!

Another bit of research you can do before booking is to check out review of hotels online and see what people are saying about the property. I am hesitant to give this bit of advice because some of these reviews can be a bit skewed and you must keep this in mind when reading them. My idea of a moderate or superior property may be totally different than someone else’s. If you normally stay at the Lah Tee Dah Hotel and book something where the housekeeping staff does not come in every evening to lay out your slippers and fluff your pillow before bed, you might give a very nice property a bad review because it is not what you expected.

However, if you normally stay at the Roach Motel and stayed at this very same property, you would think it was the nicest, most upscale property in the world! I am exaggerating here, but hopefully you understand the point I am making. When you are reading reviews, take them with a grain of salt. If there are 80% good reviews, chances are, this is a decent property. If 20 different people are talking about bed bugs and dirty sheets, keep looking!

Another step I take in my researching process is to input the address of the hotel’s I am looking at into one of the internet map tools. Look to see where exactly you are going to be sleeping. Near the beach and on the beach are two different things. Downtown Seattle is totally different than an airport property in Seattle. Las Vegas downtown, Las Vegas strip and Las Vegas off strip properties are three totally different animals. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.

Once you have finished your research and have found a property that you are happy with, book your airfare first (to make sure the deal you found is still available), then book your hotel. Make sure you understand your hotel’s cancellation, check-in, and check-out policies. If you are flying, go ahead and leave a credit card number to guarantee late check-in. You don’t want to have a delayed flight and go to check in to your hotel and find out that you lost your room because you didn’t arrive before 6:00 pm.

If you are not planning to rent a car, find out about hotel shuttle from the airport. I will pay a little extra for a property that offers a shuttle if it saves me $100.00 in cab fare when I arrive and depart. Know how the hotel works their shuttle system. Do you call from a courtesy phone upon arrival or are they waiting outside? Do they want you to take a cab that they will reimburse your for? Once again, do your research!

If you are planning for an early morning flight, ask the hotel if they are able to hold your luggage until check in. You don’t want to have to drag your luggage around for 6 hours while you wait for 3:00 check-in. This is research you do before you ever leave home, not when you arrive. If you leave your luggage with bell staff, remember to tip them $1-$2 per bag. These guys work hard for peanuts most of the time and rely heavily on tips. The peace of mind and convenience it gives you while you are free to explore your destination without luggage in tow is certainly worth the extra cash.

With airfare booked and hotel reserved you are now free to start on researching the “fun stuff” you will do on your vacation, meals and attractions, which I will cover in my next article. Start packing!

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Your only problem when visiting Amsterdam should be to find an affordable place to stay at. As you might have guessed, hotels are not among the most affordable accommodations for travelers. But the Dutch have it all covered. If you travel with your friends or a limited budget, there are many hostels in Amsterdam to choose from.

Why is an Amsterdam hostel a very good choice for accommodation? First of all, it is very convenient. Prices start as low as € 19 for a dormitory bed, and go up to only € 39 for a bed in a twin or double room. Therefore, even if you don’t feel like sharing the bedroom with other people, it is still very convenient to stay at an Amsterdam hostel. Secondly, lower prices do not necessarily mean services of inferior quality or less comfort. Some hostels in Amsterdam offer a series of facilities, such as free quality breakfast, free hot shower, free linen, free storage for your luggage, free city map, free walking tour, free movie to watch, international telephone facilities, night security, and so forth. Some hostels in Amsterdam also provide parking places, but these are usually charged. Furthermore, an Amsterdam hostel is the ideal place to meet people and make new friends. And what better way to do that than being part of the warm and cozy atmosphere that hostels in Amsterdam can offer? And since hostels are typically places for young people who like to go out at night and have a good time till dawn, you shouldn’t expect any lockout or curfews. Most hostels in Amsterdam are open around the clock, but, as has been said before, they also have night security.

So, if you plan on spending your holiday in Amsterdam or you’re just passing through and need to spend a few nights there, enjoy the friendly and cozy atmosphere of an Amsterdam hostel, and save your money, for there are many other things to do in the city.

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What do you do if you dream of going on a tour of the European capitals, but you realize you are a little short of cash? If you want to stay at a hotel in cities such as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, etc., you will be taking quite a lot of money out of your pocket. Therefore, if you travel on a budget, pretty much like everybody else, your best option is represented by hostels.

The history of hostels goes back almost a century, when, as a result of a rather unfortunate situation, a German teacher realized that safe and affordable lodgings needed to be built in order to accommodate students traveling for various purposes. As a result, the first youth hostel was built in Germany in 1912. Many other countries quickly embraced the concept, and hostels began to be built in countries such as the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, etc. Nowadays, hostels can be found in every country, but the one with the richest tradition is the Netherlands. To be more precise, it was Amsterdam that played the most important part in the development of these inexpensive and comfortable accommodations. In 1932, the International Youth Hostel Foundation was created in Amsterdam, foundation that has about sixty-five members now.

You can imagine that such a wealth of experience has lead to the continuous improvement of services provided in such hostels. As a result, most hostels Amsterdam are a lot more than just safe and affordable. They are very clean, comfortable and welcoming places where everyone feels at home. It’s safe to say that some hostels Amsterdam set the quality standards for youth accommodations. Therefore, when in Amsterdam, for whatever reason, don’t give any second thought to staying at a hotel, because hostels are an excellent choice.

Some of the hostels Amsterdam offer excellent conditions and facilities. If you are lucky enough to find a vacancy in one of the well-located hostels Amsterdam, you will need little else. In order to make your stay as pleasant as possible, you should try to find a hostel whose staff are friendly and welcoming, whose prices are moderate, and whose location is close to the city center or the main attraction points of the city. The good news is that there are such youth hostels in Amsterdam. Moreover, some hostels in Amsterdam also offer all sorts of facilities, such as free quality breakfast, free city map and walking tour, free luggage storage, free movies to watch, and so on.

In conclusion, when you get to Amsterdam, make hostels your number one choice. You won’t be sorry!

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http://www.okapiland.com/

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We all know that the most advantageous deals come when you settle them ahead. When you choose a destination, you probably also dwell on the possibility of saving money. For this purpose, you have the chance of choosing from an array of discount hotels offers. First, you must establish your check-in date and your checkout date. Then you should search for available discount hotels worldwide (depending on your travel destination, of course) in the time interval that interests you.

When you are traveling, some things make up the expense…such as flight, food, entertainment (tickets, nightlife, etc.) and accommodation. When booking with discount hotels, you diminish significantly the accommodation costs. By booking online, you also can make your vacation cheaper. You can make a reservation before your holiday begins and you will find great rates and better availability. You can pay using any method you like…credit card, online transactions, and so on.

You should keep in your mind the criteria of cataloging discount hotels worldwide. Such criteria include the number of stars, which usually indicate the conveniences the hotel is offering: airport shuttle, indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, family rooms, Internet services, outdoor swimming pool, parking (fee required), non-smoking rooms, and so on. You should also consider the distance from the airport, as well as the number of nearby tourist objectives. Other criteria such as groups, solo traveler, couple, and family with children should also form the object of your careful consideration when you think about selecting accommodation in one of the discount hotels worldwide.

You will have better chances to find a discount room if you are going to stay for an extended period, if you are traveling in off-season or if you are part of a group. You should know that discount hotels do offer quality accommodation. It is a well-known practice to lower the prices during off-seasons (particularly during fall). Often frequented hotels by tourists can be quite expensive, so you should try to avoid them.

If you want to go for example to Amsterdam, it is not necessary to stay right in the center of the city. You can stay outside of it (2km to 100km), where you can find a discount hotel easier. These are usually middle grade accommodations (3 stars) and they still offer comfort and good services as the high rated hotels, but at a lower price. Staying in such discount hotels will decrease with more than half what you would normally pay for a regular room in a more expensive hotel.

With our services, you will always find important information about online hotel reservations, about availability, about costs and fees your discount hotel is practicing. You will even find maps about the location and additional information about the place you are going to visit. After having taken care of the booking, you will receive an e-mail confirmation for your reservation.

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When touring by car obviously means that you will need places to stay and there are so many different options to choose from, but this can be a great way of getting into the heart of the country and experiencing the true traditional France whilst on your driving holiday.

The roads are very well maintained, especially on the toll roads that have fantastic lay-bys and the service areas are also of excellent quality, which makes the experience when travelling through a lot easier. And even when entering the local villages, the roads are still very good quality, far better than some other countries we have been in, yet just remember that you will be driving on the right hand side of the road!

But when you are driving through France there are a few things you need to be aware of.

Did you know that the legal age to drive in France is 18 years of age and even if you have a full licence from another country and you are under that age, then you are still not allowed to drive in France? And every passenger must wear a seatbelt and it is illegal for a child under the age of 10 to be in the front seat.

You must always stop at a zebra crossing, which is enforced by law and when going through a town you will find a lot of them, but you should be very careful when you are the pedestrian, as the French do not seem to obey this rule as much as they should!

Watch your speed! If you are stopped for speeding you can be fined on the spot and the fines have to be paid in cash there and then, which can be quite expensive. If you cannot pay or you are travelling more than 25km/h above the speed limit, then your car can be impounded and you could end up with a very hefty fine or even lose your licence, so be careful, especially when on the toll roads, as you do not want your driving holiday to come to an abrupt end!

The motorways are 130km per hour, but this is reduced in bad weather down to 110km per hour and on duel carriageways and main roads the same rules apply where the speed limit is reduced in bad weather. A duel carriageway is 110km per hour and main roads are 90km per hour, with the periphery being 80km per hour and towns or minor roads being a maximum of 50km per hour.

The French Government do publish information on exactly where speed traps are located and this is one of the reasons why it is illegal to have a radar detector fitted to your vehicle. Also, with the amount of satellite navigation systems available such as TomTom, you will find that many have a warning system for speed cameras, but it is also illegal to have this facility on, otherwise you could end up with a hefty fine if you are caught out!

In bad weather, fog etc, even during the day, it is compulsory to use your lights but you do not have to keep your lights on during the day at any other time.

Obviously you must have deflectors fitted to your headlights if you have a right-hand drive vehicle and by law you must have a set of replacement bulbs and a warning triangle with you at all times. But it is always advisable to check the regulations prior to your holiday in France, as they do change from time to time and a good place to access this information is the AA website.

You also need to have a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher with you and because in France the law states that if you are the first on a scene of an accident, you must stop and provide assistance, these may well be required! And in the event of an accident you would need to call the police, which is accomplished by dialling 17 and they will also despatch an ambulance or the fire brigade if these are also needed.

You will no doubt come across the term La Priorité à Droite, which basically means that the vehicle coming onto a road has priority from the right. This is even the case when a minor road is entering a main road, so do be careful, especially when in the towns and villages as you would need to give way, even if it is you on the main road.

Officially this rule no longer applies unless clearly sign posted yet it still causes confusion and in Paris it is still widely practised. So you could end up feeling like you are being cut up, even though this may have been how the French were taught to drive when the Priorité à Droite rule was still widely used!

Yet by generally planning your holiday prior to travelling, this will give you more peace of mind and will help you to locate all the tourist attractions that you want to visit whilst on your holiday in France. Also, when it comes to shopping, most places shut for at least two hours each day and most hypermarkets, etc are not open on a Sunday, whereas museums and other attractions are, so you can make general plans for your whole trip.

Plus if you use a route planner such as Microsoft AutoRoute, it can provide you with lots of other information as well, like being able to calculate how long it will take you to travel between one place and another, and you can also find numerous different hotels, petrol stations, restaurants and even cash points to name but a few!

The other good thing about using a route planner, is that if you do not have a sat nav system, you can get fantastically indepth maps that will take you directly to your desired destination without getting lost, and yes, getting lost can be fun, but it can also be daunting if you do not know the area.

But with these few general rules out of the way, just enjoy the experience, the beautiful scenery, the French wine and food and have a great family vacation, whilst on your driving holiday in France.

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Backpackers and South America

While many young adults may dream about trekking across Europe, it’s not the only continent available for this sort of adventure. North America can be just as rewarding, but if you’re looking for a truly diverse and unique experience, South America is the way to go. With climates and terrain ranging from rainforests to mountains, and coastal beaches to the Amazon River – exploring while hoofing it around South America is a great way to get to know a continent.

One of the first things you’ll have to decide on is how you’re going to pack for this adventure. There are many recommendations that can be made for what to bring, but there are some basics that should always be included. Make sure to choose a pack that is large and sturdy enough to carry all of your needs. You’ll need to pack clothing that can be easily washed and reworn – some examples are jeans, shorts, different styles of shirts, a jacket, a few pairs of shoes and plenty of under things. You’ll also need to bring with you any toiletries or medicine that might not easily be found while in remote areas – things like water purification pills, antidiarrheals, and first aid preparations are all important. You’ll also want to pack any maps or guidebooks you plan to use and a Spanish-English dictionary or phrasebook can be helpful if you don’t speak Spanish.

Another good idea is deciding when to hike where. The South American climate is diverse and much different than where you live. For countries like Argentina, where it’s subtropical in the north and subarctic in the south, it’s especially necessary to note when it’s a good time to visit (recommended times are between June and October). Chile, on the other hand, has better weather from October to May, so it’s really important to choose the right time of year for the part of South America you want to hike.

South America is challenge, and few people can and will be able to hike all over an entire continent. If you pick and choose countries you really want to see, and terrain that you are going to have the stamina for, trekking in the tropical climate of South America can be a terrific, life changing experience. If you are looking more for a party trip, you need only focus on the country of Brazil.

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