2010/08/28
2010/08/25
Travelling to Southeast Asia From the Usa
By: Gabe Dagen
About 5 years ago, I decided that I wanted to travel to Southeast Asia. The reason? Just to explore and expose myself to something totally new. It was important for me to do this in order to grow intellectually and have a better understanding of other cultures as well as my own. So I started researching flight costs on the Internet. I checked out all the big websites like Orbitz.com and Expedia.com and also tried specific airlines (just to get an idea on costs). I was surprised at how inexpensive it was. I was expecting to see tickets range from $2000-$5000 since it can cost close to $1100 just to travel from coast to coast in the US. Instead, I saw prices ranging from $700-$1800. I was shocked. All this time I’ve been putting off traveling and it was only $700 away? I felt cheated. Since I didn’t have any specific date in mind I played around with different dates/times of year and durations. I finally decided to go in the off-season of summer (it was going to be REALLY hot there) and set a timeframe of 3 weeks. I had no further itinerary and I wanted to keep it that way. I like being able to take things as they come and modify my adventure according to what grabs me when I’m there.
I booked a flight about 3 months in advance for $716. Left San Francisco. for a layover in Tokyo and then I had to transfer planes to Bangkok. The total trip took about 17 hours. I know it sounds bad, but it wasn’t at all! Japan airlines (JAL) had video screen in front of each seat with several movies to watch and games to play. I watched two movies, took a long nap and I was in Japan. My other plane wasn’t quite as plush. It was an Asia-based airline, which seemed to be on an old plane, but the food was good and not as many people so I could spread out onto three seats to sleep.
My time spent in Thailand was unforgettable and I hold these memories of the culture and people quite dear to me. I have an entirely new perspective of a world that I never really knew existed. It also helped me to become more appreciative of my own culture and of foreigners. It takes a lot of guts to travel outside your comfort zone, but the effort is well worth it and in my opinion necessary to grow as an individual.
The lessons I learned in this process of traveling as cheaply as possible (since I don’t make a lot of money) is to keep your schedule loose and try as many different dates and durations in order to find the best prices. Layovers are typically going to be cheap that direct flights, and in some cases direct flights just aren’t even possible. The trick is that there is no trick. There is also no magic process to find the best deals. You have to research and learn by doing. If I had to do it all again, I’d probably travel use more taxis or hire a personal driver to show me around as I didn’t realize till later how cheap these things are in a third world country.
You can find much more information on international travel and how to articles on finding discounted airfares by visiting my blog site at: http://www.findcheapairfares.org
About the Author
Gabe is an avid traveler and has a dedicated blog website that promotes frugal international travel. The website is located at http://www.findcheapairfares.org
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Travelling to Southeast Asia From the Usa
About 5 years ago, I decided that I wanted to travel to Southeast Asia. The reason? Just to explore and expose myself to something totally new. It was important for me to do this in order to grow intellectually and have a better understanding of other cultures as well as my own. So I started researching flight costs on the Internet. I checked out all the big websites like Orbitz.com and Expedia.com and also tried specific airlines (just to get an idea on costs). I was surprised at how inexpensive it was. I was expecting to see tickets range from $2000-$5000 since it can cost close to $1100 just to travel from coast to coast in the US. Instead, I saw prices ranging from $700-$1800. I was shocked. All this time I’ve been putting off traveling and it was only $700 away? I felt cheated. Since I didn’t have any specific date in mind I played around with different dates/times of year and durations. I finally decided to go in the off-season of summer (it was going to be REALLY hot there) and set a timeframe of 3 weeks. I had no further itinerary and I wanted to keep it that way. I like being able to take things as they come and modify my adventure according to what grabs me when I’m there.
I booked a flight about 3 months in advance for $716. Left San Francisco. for a layover in Tokyo and then I had to transfer planes to Bangkok. The total trip took about 17 hours. I know it sounds bad, but it wasn’t at all! Japan airlines (JAL) had video screen in front of each seat with several movies to watch and games to play. I watched two movies, took a long nap and I was in Japan. My other plane wasn’t quite as plush. It was an Asia-based airline, which seemed to be on an old plane, but the food was good and not as many people so I could spread out onto three seats to sleep.
My time spent in Thailand was unforgettable and I hold these memories of the culture and people quite dear to me. I have an entirely new perspective of a world that I never really knew existed. It also helped me to become more appreciative of my own culture and of foreigners. It takes a lot of guts to travel outside your comfort zone, but the effort is well worth it and in my opinion necessary to grow as an individual.
The lessons I learned in this process of traveling as cheaply as possible (since I don’t make a lot of money) is to keep your schedule loose and try as many different dates and durations in order to find the best prices. Layovers are typically going to be cheap that direct flights, and in some cases direct flights just aren’t even possible. The trick is that there is no trick. There is also no magic process to find the best deals. You have to research and learn by doing. If I had to do it all again, I’d probably travel use more taxis or hire a personal driver to show me around as I didn’t realize till later how cheap these things are in a third world country.
You can find much more information on international travel and how to articles on finding discounted airfares by visiting my blog site at: http://www.findcheapairfares.org
About the Author
Gabe is an avid traveler and has a dedicated blog website that promotes frugal international travel. The website is located at http://www.findcheapairfares.org
(ArticlesBase SC #535858)
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Travelling to Southeast Asia From the Usa
Medical travel is a groving market!
Want to become an Affilate to MediTravels? Click here!
The ever rising medical costs and the long wait which generally precedes any medical treatment are major contributing factors to the success of International Medical travel. Health travel is not a really modern concept. The erstwhile kings and emperors have been known to have traveled to retreats which were salubrious to their health. The same principle has now been embraced in international medical travel.
Several Asian and Middle Eastern countries are offering health travel to the western patients to whom traveling across nations is preferable to spending exorbitant amounts on treatments in their native country. US, UK Canada and some other European country residents are benefited immensely by international medical travel. The medical costs in these countries were always astronomical and are now soaring further. Add this to the fact that quite a few westerners are underinsured or even uninsured and you will get a perfect recipe for health travel.
Despite the added traveling and lodging costs that international medical travel entails, it is still much cheaper as opposed to getting treated in US or UK. The medical cost in the health travel offering countries is as much as 80 percent lower than in western countries. The low medical cost in no way reflects the quality of medical treatment offered in these countries. The centers offering international medical travel employ the best of medical professionals with extensive knowledge. All the modern techniques and equipment are present in these centers. The reason for the lower costs is much less labour charge in these countries. Very high labour charges and exorbitant insurance charges are what make medical treatment so expensive in the US and UK.
It is a testimony to the benefits of international medical travel that almost 20 million people traveled to Health travel offering countries last year. This number is predicted to shoot to 40 million in the next few years. Apart from the amazing monetary benefits health travel also offers quality treatments and personalized attention. Long waiting queues and a mere two minutes spent with the doctor post the long wait is not a common scenario in centers offering international medical travel. These ensure a more personalized attention to all their patients, with doctors actually going to the trouble of putting their doubts and concerns to rest and also answering any questions that they might have. Such a caring attitude is one more factor in the favor of health travel.
Traveling to a new country for getting medical treatment might seem a rather inconvenient prospect to begin with. There are several firms catering to all the requirements of health travel. The sole basis of the existence is to make life simpler and more comfortable for those undertaking international medical travel. They take care of all the traveling details, right from the tickets to visa. They also book comfortable lodging in the country offering health travel. Such health travel is no longer a daunting prospect. Infact, quite a few people are now clubbing health travel with their vacation. Considering the fact that many of the countries offering international health travel are major tourist attractions as well, this seems like a great idea.
Vikram kuamr - About the Author:
Health Travel can indeed prove very salubrious to your pockets. All that you might want to know regarding International Medical Travel can be found at Medicaltourismguide.
2010/08/24
USA Hotel Maps is soon complete!
We are right now working on Tennessee in USA!
After that we have "only" 8 states left to add! Time consuming, but it's worth it. The is no competitor that have our quality in the locations. To many relay on address-coding systems, but we combine address-coding with manual verification against satellite photos before we add a hotel!
To see all of North America go to North America Hotel Maps
After that we have "only" 8 states left to add! Time consuming, but it's worth it. The is no competitor that have our quality in the locations. To many relay on address-coding systems, but we combine address-coding with manual verification against satellite photos before we add a hotel!
To see all of North America go to North America Hotel Maps
Krabi: Top five
Hotels in Krabi
Article from Agodas Travel Blog
Despite that discouraging sign, the southern Thai town-slash-state has plenty to put you in a relaxed frame of mind. Equipped with countless beaches and bays, Krabi is largely unspoiled -– lush but imposing thanks to the presence of monster megaliths: spectacular limestone 'karst' formations.
Discover the top landmarks and attractions in and around the provincial capital, which despite its remoteness, is accessible. Krabi has an international airport. So you can bypass Bangkok and reach Krabi directly from other parts of Asia, or arrange an air or road transfer from Phuket International airport.
Krabi top five attractions
1. Krabi town waterfront
Krabi town's waterfront is vast and borderline awe-inspiring because of its otherworldly sky-scraping karsts (limestone crags). Hit the promenade and you can admire the scenery in style without getting pestered the way you are in other parts of Thailand.
If you want to ride the river, you can board a longtail boat that takes you on a tour of the river's jungly inner recesses. En route, you may stop off at a fish farm that runs an eye-popping aquatic sideshow (+66 841 888 285).
2. Jurassic traffic lights
On Thanon Maharat at the intersection with Thanon Sukhon stand some of the world's most extraordinary traffic lights. The stop-and-go signals are carried like shopping bags by caveman figures: an apparent nod to local cave paintings. While you gawk, try not to walk through a red light.
3. Tiger Cave Temple
Just north of Krabi Town stands Wat Tham Sua (Tiger Cave Temple): a dazzling hilltop pilgrimage point. The giant Buddhist statues that occupy the hilltop shrine cast a wise eye over the land stretching from Krabi Town to the cliffs near climbing hotspot Railay. It is hard to say which makes more impact: the statues or the view: both of which are captured beautifully by Thaipulse.
Just remember to make your grueling 30- to 40-minute climb to the summit early in the morning or toward twilight. Avoid heat exhaustion.
4. Phanom Bencha National Park
On paper, Krabi's national park Phanom Bencha is a naturalist's paradise. The roll call of animals theoretically includes tiger, black panther, clouded leopard, Asiatic bear and more.
You may well witness none of the above, so why go? Well, even if poachers have killed many exotic animals, Phanom Bencha remains Krabi Province’s largest remaining area of primeval jungle. What's more, Phanom Bencha is laced with streams, waterfalls and caves. And you might just get to see eagles, hornbills, and woodpeckers.
5. Ao Nang
For a cheap and entertaining daytrip, head to the Andaman seaside resort of Ao Nang, which is a "baht bus" shuttle ride away from Krabi town. On Ao Nang beach, for a whimsical thrill you can buy and release a 100-baht lucky lantern and watch it sail off into the sunset.
Or, you can just hover in the town: an old backpacker haunt that is gradually heading upmarket and might keep you interested for a night with its beer bars and a strip called Seafood Street. If you are more of a fitness junky than a hedonist, just across the water, in the shape of a peninsula, there's that rock jock magnet, Railay.
Beyond lie several idyllic islands, not least quirky Phi Phi and Lanta.
PS Krabi is riddled with lagoons and caves great for kayak exploration.
Entrie by david
2010/08/22
Top 10 Beaches in the Caribbean
A holiday to the Caribbean offers you the chance to visit some of the most spectacular beaches in the world. Virtually every island of the Caribbean will have beaches that amaze; with crystal clear blue seas, sugar white sand & palm trees.
To help you choose where to go and more importantly what beach to choose, we have compiled a list of the top 10 beaches in the Caribbean.
1/ Palm Beach (Aruba) – Idyllic beach setting with superb white sand.
2/ Grand Anse Beach (Grenada) – 3km beach with sugar-white sand, lots of space & shallow waters.
3/ Johnson’s Point (Antigua) – Made up of secluded coves; these white soft sand beaches are a must for snorkeling & swimming
4/ Pink Sand Beach ( Bahamas) – One of the world’s most photographed beaches, often voted world’s best by travel publications. 5km’s of salmon pink coloured sand, due to red plankton that has mixed with the fine white sand.
5/ Crane Beach (Barbados) – Often voted as Barbados’ most beautiful beach. Imposing cliffs, a natural coral reef and soft white sands make for a perfect beach.
6/ Negril Beach (Jamaica) – Laid back atmosphere and Jamaica’s prettiest beach. A lot quieter than Seven Mile beach.
7/ Englishman’s Bay (Tobago) – A sheltered beach with fine white sand, crystal waters & surrounded by a palm jungle.
8/ Grace Bay (Turks and Caicos) – Part of a national marine park, this beach has fine white sand, calm turquoise waters and is protected by a barrier reef.
9/ Trunk Bay (US Virgin Islands) – A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters, considered one of the best places for snorkeling in the Caribbean.
10/ Shoal Bay (Anguilla) – Put Angullia on the tourism map; sugar-white sand, crystal clear blue waters & coral reefs.
Travel Guru - About the Author:
directline-holidays.co.uk provides you with the latest holiday offers, essential information & reviews on destinations worldwide.
2010/08/21
Hong Kong: Tian Tan the giant Buddha
Better known for its business buzz and megamalls, Hong Kong also hosts one of Asia's most striking spiritual statues. Meet the Tian Tan Buddha.
Set on Hong Kong's largest island, Lantau – a day trip away from downtown Hong Kong – the Tian Tan Buddha boasts epic proportions. This extension of the squat and diagonal Po Lin ("precious lotus") temple soars 34 meters into the sky. Just to raise its height and make other Buddha statues more noted for girth feel inferior, the Tian Tan perches on a lotus throne atop a soaring 268-step staircase.
Price of peace
Built from bronze, the cloud-capped effigy cost a cool 68 million USD. The result of the monumentally expensive construction effort was unveiled on December 29, 1993, the birthday of the historic "awakened" Gautama Buddha. The superstructure's singsong name, which suggests some kind of candy, is a nod to Beijing's Tian Tan Temple of Heaven.
Blessed with an air of serenity that Hong Kong's workforce must envy, the big Buddha extends its right hand, signaling the removal of affliction. Its left rests on its lap.
Friends in high places
Around the soothing seer stand eight groupie-like effigies: immortals offering flowers, incense, light, ointment, fruit, and music. The offerings symbolize charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom -- the checklist of graces you need to enter the Buddhist heaven called nirvana (good luck with that).
Hidden depths
Buy a coupon for a vegetarian meal that one dubbed "unthinkably scrumptious & nutritious" and you can delve under the plane that the figures inhabit. The base contains three floors respectively devoted to the universe, "benevolent merit", and remembrance. Curios contained by this block include a "relic" of the true-life Gautama Buddha, which consists of some of his alleged cremated remains, and a computer-operated bell engraved with Buddha images.
The smart bell is programmed to ring 108 times daily -- a nod to the release of 108 strains of human vexation: about the number that routinely afflict peak-time travelers downtown in teeming Wan Chai.
Long view
According to Buddhism, all forms of grumpiness are all in the mind. Either way, undeniably the icon in the sky is imposing. At 250 tons, it weighs more than the Statue of Liberty. On a clear day, the Tian Tan Buddha can be seen from as far afield as Macau. Once you reach Lantau, the least vexing way to approach the Buddha is the Ngong Ping 360 cable car.
Entries by david
Hotels in Hong Kong!
2010/08/07
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