Travel

Avoiding Scams while Traveling

Scams are part and parcel of world travel. Whether you are visiting a third world country or standing in the heart of New York City, you are vulnerable to scams. Here are a few that you should be aware of:

1. A stranger asks for fuel money – Usually this is accompanied with a sob story of a funeral, family emergency, etc. If you do feel compelled to help this person, tell them that you will go with them to a gas station and you will find that they disappear very quickly.

2. Free gift – Someone asks you a very simple favor (i.e. directions) and return they put a bracelet on your arm or something similar. You don’t want it but you can’t take it off your arm either, so feel compelled to give that person some money. A variation of this is where someone “finds” a “valuable” watch or bracelet in front of you and tries to sell it to you.

3. Diversion – You get a flat tire and a good Samaritan pulls up to help you. Keep an eye out, his friend might be emptying your luggage. This works in reverse as well, where you are flagged down by someone who needs help. Another diversionary tactic is where someone helps to clean bird poo from your shirt. You wallet might disappear at this point.

4. Overcharge – Taxis are notorious for taking advantage of unsuspecting travellers. If they are on the meter, they will deliberately take longer routes. If they are without a meter they will name atrocious rates.

For more travel tips we also recommend Cheap Hotels Blog. They offer hotel reviews and travel tips.

Travel

Interested in a Hawaii trip?

Who doesn’t love a Hawaii vacation?

Not a single person that is of course unless you live under a rock. For many, it is that dream vacation filled with beaches, great weather and a mix of cultures that will leave you with memories in the years to come.

With its ever rising popularity, several travel agents are now in the business of catering to vacationers that are interested in a Hawaii trip for almost several years now. Since they have been in the business for so long, it is no surprise that they know where to shop, eat and play on the islands of Hawaii while also letting the traveler experience the natural beauty and adventure that is indeed associated with the Aloha State.

Regardless of whether you are looking for oceanfront villas, golf vacation packages, a trip for your family or a romantic honeymoon, you can find the best Hawaii vacation deals as they are linked to the top airlines and resorts, and this also means that not only can you find a holiday that is just right for you but also at a good price that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket.

With search tools, one can avail of the options listed for airlines and car rentals as well as the list of hotels that you would like to stay at, and can book based on their availability.  So don’t waste any time in finding the best bargains for the trip of your life to Hawaii.

Travel

Six Tips For Avoiding Hidden Hotel Fees

The revenue hotels earn from telephone calls, internet fees, fitness centers, the business center and other charges have tripled over the years. Recently an investigation conducted regarding four Wyndham establishments by Florida’s attorney general led to a settlement of $2.3 million and a new requirement that all hotel fees be disclosed straight up. Wyndham has agreed to now make this part of their system across the country. The rest of the hotels however, could be slow on the uptake, so here are a few tips to avoid hidden fees at hotels:

Avoid top business hotels. These hotels cater exclusively to business travelers and are quite intent on helping them on spending their per diem.
Choose hotels that are against hidden fees. Take for example Omni and Kimpton who now have free Wi-Fi in the lobby.

If you are booking a hotel online, do it directly on the hotel sites. If you find a great deal online, it would be best if you compare the rates on the third party website with the hotel website.

It is always wiser to ask the hotel to prepare your bill the night before you check out. This way you have time to scrutinize the bill and check on charges you were unaware of, etc. If you get caught up in the rush at the time of checking out, chances are, you would not go into the details of the bill and then, hidden charges will go unnoticed.

Do not be ashamed to haggle. If you are a frequent guest or a member of a loyalty club, feel free to ask for a daily ‘best’ rate on phone calls and other services.

The obvious must never be overlooked. Always ask if there is a service charge before tipping, bring in your own bottled water so you do not have to use the mini bar and so on and so forth.

Travel

Top 10 of World’s Terrifying Places

Most people revel in scary things and find it fascinating. If you are one of those people, here is the top ten list of the world’s most terrifying places that you must visit:

1. Museum of Anatomopathology, Austria, Vienna
Also known as the Tower of the Stupid, it is located in the isolation ward of a former lunatic asylum. Representing a real monument to harsh medieval medicine and abnormalities, even the most cynical tourist agrees that this place has a chilling atmosphere.

2. The Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic
The plague left many cemeteries overfilled, and people were forced to dig out bones and arrange improvised depositories. The Czech ossuary is a special depository of sorts. Its greatest impression is produced by its walls made of stacked up human skulls.

3. Paris Catacombs, France
While seemingly a common tourist path, only a small part of it is open for excursions. It is patrolled day and night, and the country spends considerable funds to maintain a special police service, even though it contains nothing of value. Tales are far and wide about ghosts, monsters and blind lunatics who have not seen the light of day for several generations.

4. Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Oswiecim, Poland
Created on the former concentration camp of Oswiecim, where more than 4 million people died, you enter through the famous gateway shot in almost every war movie. The museum exhibits include brick blocks and things taken away by the fascists.

5. Museum of Torture, Mdina, Malta
Containing a huge collection of guillotines, tongs for pulling out nails and other torture instruments, this museum also has extremely naturalistic wax figures used to demonstrate the use of the torture devices.

6. The Winchester Mystery House. San Hose, California
Built by Sarah Winchester, the heiress of an armourer who went crazy due to a terrible prophecy, the house was built to house the souls of every person killed by her father’s rifles. The house is considered to be full of ghosts and other evil forces.

7. Dracula’s Castle. Transilvania, Romania
Situated on the edge of an abyss, you can even walk into the room where on the big bed with a canopy, Count Dracula used to suck his victims’ blood. The castle was also inhabited by Vlad the Impaler, considered to be one of the most monstrous personalities of the Middle Ages.

8. Gulag, Russia
During its twenty years of existence, millions of people have passed through Gulag, whose camps were known for violation of elementary human rights and drastic punishments. Starvation, disease, death and exhausting labour were extremely high. Even today you can see deserted barracks, tunnels, punishment cells, prisoner’s clothes and shaved hair.

9. Museum of Execution Instruments, Paris, Fountaine de Vaucluse
Its founder previously worked as an executioner for over a decade. The museum has execution instruments from all nations and covers all times.

10. The Valley of Death, Tibet
Full of bones, yogis are known to come here to die. Others travel to the Valley of Death to find purification, obtain secret knowledge. Interestingly, very few come back in their original mental state. The belief is that in the Valley of Death, the human soul undergoes a ‘special’ trial.

Travel

Visiting America’s Most Endangered Places

Here’s an avant-garde idea for a vacation: travel the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of the “11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” According to The New York Times, it takes more than perilous looks to make the list. Instead, “the trust selects what it considers important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of being destroyed or irreparably damaged,” Robin Pogrebin writes. This year’s list includes a special emphasis on the threat to Modernist buildings. In alphabetical order, this year’s most endangered historic places are:

• Ames Shovel Shops, Easton, MA
• Cast-Iron Architecture of Galveston, TX
• Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
• Dorchester Academy, Midway, GA
• Human Services Center, Yankton, SD
• Lāna‘i City, HI
• The Manhattan Project’s Enola Gay Hangar, Wendover Airfield, UT
• Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth, N.H. to Kittery, ME
• Miami Marine Stadium, Virginia Key, FL
• Mount Taylor, near Grants, NM
• Unity Temple, Oak Park, IL

The slim good news for these sites is that since development has slowed, they face less threat of demolition for new construction. And the trust has a good track record of protecting the buildings that it names to the list. In 22 years, only six of the 211 designated sites have been torn down. Still, it’s worth visiting these places today because as the recession deepens, they might not be there tomorrow.

For more about the list, visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Travel

United Airlines’ Controversial New Policy

Last week, United Airlines introduced a controversial new policy that requires passengers who need more than one seat-belt extender and who cannot put their seat’s armrests down when seated to purchase an extra seat. If no empty seat is available on the flight, the passenger must wait for the next flight or forgo his or her travel plans with United. While United is not the only airline to enforce such a policy, it has come under fire from the Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) for shelving its customer service standards in favor of profit and irresponsibly packing in passengers in coach too tightly.

Could the new rule do further damage to the flagging airline industry? A 2008 survey showed that airline customer satisfaction had reached its lowest level since 2001. Passengers cited problems with delayed and overbooked flights, lost baggage, and baggage-checking fees, to name only a few of the complaints. In that survey, United ranked as only the sixth-most satisfactory airline, well behind Southwest, American, Continental, Delta, and Northwest, respectively.

What do you think? Is United’s rule fair or fradulent?