Archive for December, 2009

Easy Family Travel in Great Britain

Posted December 31, 2009 * Comments(0)

Ellen McNulty asked:


Anyone who has traveled in the USA with children knows how hard it can be to research the area, plan interesting activities for the kids, and at the same time, relax and enjoy your vacation, too. But when you plan your family vacation with a travel professional to plan your overseas trip, it can be worry-free.

Traveling with a family requires a different type of vacation, and traveling overseas has its own challenges – passports, time changes, disrupted sleep schedules and more. .England, and all of Great Britain come to mind as stress-free family vacation destinations.

Are you or your children history buffs, Harry Potter fans, or just interested in travel? We arrange everything for your family travel packages to England, Scotland and Wales, so there is nothing for you to do but enjoy yourself.

Here are just some suggestions for your family travel packages to Great Britain:

Rent a cottage or a castle in Britain. When you’d like to be on your own, an a small house on an estate or castle grounds, or in a holiday vacation village of 8-10 identical cottages with other vacationers from around the world. Walk to the local store, cook your own meals for that finicky eater, and have your own home away from home for a week or more.

Self Drive Britain

Relive the history of your father’s father’s father. Visit all the sites they’ve only read about – King Arthur’s England, the fabled land of knights and maidens, Harry Potter and more. Go wherever you please with our open prepaid voucher program, or we will pre-plan your itinerary for you. Hotels with swimming pools are highlighted for family fun.

Harry Potter Tours

Have your children enjoyed Harry’s adventures? The new Harry Potter film comes out in November 2009. Be there for the buzz. See where the movies were made. All of the attractions are featured in the “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, and “Chamber of Secrets” films including the Hogwarts School.

We have self drive tours and guided tours but if you have a group of friends or family (6 or more), we can do an individual escorted tour for you. These trips are created to give children, parents and grandparents an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company in a far-off and exciting destination. On these tours, enrollment is limited to family groups. Sightseeing and other special activities are designed with the interests and attention spans of all generations in mind.

Grandparent Travel to London and England. Do you relish the idea of having your children and their children all together at one time? I got the idea for grandparent travel when I realized just how important a part grandmothers and grandfathers play in so many families. Some are baby-sitters when parents are so busy with their working lives, while others try to keep in touch though from states away, maintaining a unique relationship with their grandchildren. Is your family spread out all over the world, so this can be a once in a lifetime opportunity to get everyone together. Many grandparents are struggling with the effects of divorced, separated, second marriage, or single parent families I know the special relationship that exists between grandparents and grandchildren. A family trip to England is the answer, with something to delight every member of the family, from school-age children to grandparents. Plan your own, special itinerary with the help of Lynott Tours, or choose from one of our well planned, well tested plans. We can work with any budget, planning memories that will last a lifetime and beyond.

 

Scotland Family Vacation – The Clan Escorted Tour

Fun adventures include a castle climb, a visit to a sheep farm, monster-hunting and traditional music. This very special tour for your clan combines enriching experiences in the charming towns of Scotland with some extraordinary accommodations at guest houses, hotels, and inns, and even a romantic castle. Family togetherness is at a premium and no one will complain about being bored.

 

Small barge cruising on the River Thames

ACTIEF cruises the River Thames. Join Toad, Ratty and Mole from Kenneth Grahame “Wind In the Willows” on this truly magical journey, winding through woodland and open country, passing quintessentially English villages of great beauty en-route. Our special family itinerary has been designed to combine the magic of life on the river with exciting family tours and excursions. Available for charters on any departure date. Throughout the week children (and adults too) can also enjoy rowing and fishing from Actief’s dinghy. In addition we will be running a treasure hunt and scavenger hunt, plus various other fun competition and games throughout the week.

Whatever your family needs, and no matter what their ages or attention spans, England is the perfect place for a family travel adventure. Plan your own, special itinerary with the help of Lynott Tours, or choose from one of our well planned, well tested plans. We can work with any budget, planning memories that will last a lifetime and beyond.

Contact the family travel specialists in Great Britain,  Lynott Tours 1 (800) 221-2474 or email: britain@lynotttours.com.



How to Find the Right Travel Agent?

Posted December 30, 2009 * Comments(0)
In today’s Hi- Tech world, we have easy access to all kinds of information. We’re able to research, compare, and book travel right in the comfort of our own home. But the question arises – Who needs a travel agent anymore?

Fewer of us do, apparently. In last one decade the travel agents statistics had fallen by about 30%.

“They are an outdated remnant of past practices that add virtually no value to any transaction today,” says one of the employee working for Michigan airlines. After my recent recommendations of travel agent in various columns, I’ve been on the receiving end of the feedback – How could i..?.

So, here let me discuss about this common query. I believe that travel agents today still offer services and information that we can’t get on Internet. Granted, some things such as booking a simple flights, most people can successfully manage on their own. A travel agent however, can recommend smaller, alternative airports that the discount carriers use. This alone can save you quite a bit of money. However, the key thing that travel agents today offer is their first hand knowledge and right information. In planning a trip or vacation, one wants to find information about the places and regions suitable to them. Here the role of a travel agent comes into act considering the fact that they have traveled to many different places, they can provide much more insight than a brochure or web page can. Thus, finding the right travel agent is inevitable. The same thing goes for tours and specialty travel such as luxury, adventure, villa rentals, etc. A competent travel adviser can be your greatest asset when you’re planning a trip. The key word here is “competent.” And let me also define what I mean by agent: I’m not necessarily talking about an offshore call center worker reading from a script or a hobbyist who paid a few hundred bucks for bogus agency credentials. I mean a bona fide, certified travel professional. Once you decide to book a trip through an agent you must go through few quality check of an agent. These few measures include:





Understanding An Agent And Using Your Intuition – It’s important to feel out a prospective travel agent to see if you can build a rapport with them. This can be done even when you’re dealing with an Internet agency, through phone calls or e-mails. Face-to-face meetings are not necessary. The choice of right travel agent comes from knowledge, not words. The correct answers to your direct questions are what count. Before you even ask for a price quote, probe the knowledge and personality of the agent you may be putting in charge of your hard-earned vacation. If you get the right feel about this person, you then ask for a price quote. If a travel agent quotes you a price that is not the same as, or lower than the cost of booking directly, or doesn’t offer incentives like free insurance, or even a pre-cruise hotel room, they are choosing not to compete — a choice some agents do make. They hope to attract uneducated consumers. This not the kind of agent we recommend, unless the service is so fantastic you don’t mind missing out on a few perks. But price alone may not always be the best factor to find the right travel agent. We want the best price, but we also want assistance and service when we need it. Hence, when your skull asks this “ How to find the right travel agent”, the above mention criteria should strike you first.



Look For Certification – A right travel agent must be certified from some travel body or institution of his nation. This proves to be more promising or as the elderly travelers say “a certified travel agent is the right travel agent”.

Stay Local And Interview The Agent – There’s no substitute for the personal touch. My best experiences with agents have been one-on-one. The ability to meet — to look the agent in the eye, to shake his or her hand — is something online agencies can’t match. (Note: not all agents work in an office, but home-based agents can and do make personal visits.) The only exception to this rule is if you’re out to find an agent with a sought-after specialty. But even then, a trusted voice on the phone is preferable to the often unintelligible, script-reading customer service associate you’re connected to when dealing with a large agency. Mind this- a professional travel agent makes personal visits. Don’t pick the first agent you find. Talk to the travel pro. Pay close attention not only to the way your prospective agent responds, but also at what’s going on in the office around you.

Pressure Check – The only way to know for certain if your travel agent is a keeper is to see what happens when you run into trouble. A right travel agent would run through your foot steps in trouble. You must conform the services provided by the agent under such circumstances.



 

Good travel agents have an edge over almost any other seller of travel. They know what you want. They speak your language. And they’re there for you when you run into trouble.

In other words, travel agents aren’t obsolete. Only the bad ones are.



By: Syed Danish Raza

About the Author:

Traveling is something I have always cherished. An expedition offers a blend of countless itineraries ranging from Heritage, culture, tribes, adventure, wildlife and much more.

Please Visit India Tour Guide



How much business travel is too much?

Posted December 30, 2009 * Comments(2)
What signs do you receive or get that you are traveling too much for business? And for the sake of this question, there are no limitations on travel by your employer.

By: commonsense

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Women Travelers: Women Traveling Alone – Video Travel Alert™

Posted December 29, 2009 * Comments(0)
travelvideo asked:


http:www.travelvideopostcard.com Women Traveling Alone/Women Travelers The image of “woman as victim,” is unfortunate, with horrid reports about rapes, abuse, domestic violence. Our Video Travel Alert™ presents information women travelers need to be secure on the road. Women travelers need to travel with special care, especially out of the United States. Female issues include sexual verbal harassment or even physical harassment, being touched or groped, receiving inappropriate or uncalled …

What is the difference between first class and Business class air travel?

Posted December 29, 2009 * Comments(2)
lostheartbroke asked:


Checking a flight I'm taking and the cost of business class than first class, I will admit i haven 't "flew in now is a kind of business while on the first class? What are the normal differences between the two? What amenities are typically delivered in two? Do you also can someone analyze the differences between the 3 kinds of air, car, first class and business class? I pray that cost business class than first class on flights looked. He said that the first class was on the kind of business that cost little more for the flights and couldn 't understand why "? also fixed the link did not work

The good ‘ol days of commercial air travel

Posted December 28, 2009 * Comments(25)
Bomberguy asked:


1950. A British film on Voyage d& #39; commercial après-war aérienne in the United Kingdom. Certain apparatuses intéressants are in the high-speed motorboat of which Brabazon and Comet

Must Know Air Travel Tip

Posted December 28, 2009 * Comments(0)
jessedavidgift asked:


Rick Seaney, weekly columnist on ABCNews.com and CEO of Farecompare.com, a airline ticket shopping website, list the most important tips to finding a good airfare deal. Watch and save money on your airline tickets.

What causes feet to swell during air travel and why do some people swell more?

Posted December 27, 2009 * Comments(1)
What should be done after the flight to help the swelling to go away? Can/should it last a couple of days after the air travel?

By: Robert S

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Business Travel Tips For Newbies

Posted December 26, 2009 * Comments(0)
As with any area of specialization, there are business travelers who always seem to know what they are doing and those who constantly seem to be in a state of crisis. The business traveler who has been at it a while figures out some insider information that not many travelers know. These little travel secrets make the world of difference when traveling. And you can bet they are not going to share this information with just anyone because this is the kind of information that can change the nature of your business travel forever.

Your laptop is a crucial piece of equipment as you travel. In an airport emergency situation, your wireless laptop can be used to change reservations so you can avoid those long lines to get on the next flight out. You can reserve a rental car or snag one of the few remaining hotel rooms in town right from the comfort of a seat at the airport. Then the savvy business traveler can casually stroll to his or her designation as others around them panic because they knew how to leverage technology and the internet to bail themselves out of a crisis situation.

But one aspect of using your laptop to rescue yourself when the airport is in shut down is the limited power of laptops. To see your battery go dead just when you needed it the most is like watching your ship sink as the sharks circle the lifeboat. What not many people know is that there are open electrical outlets in airports that are there for cleaning crews if you know where they are. Usually these outlets are just under the windows that overlook the landing strips so if you can secure a seat near these outlets, you can charge up your laptop and keep your lifeline to the world alive.

Business travelers also know how to take full advantage of resources that are made available to business travelers exclusively. Find hotels that cater to the traveling businessperson. These hotels will not have amenities for families nor are they trying to bring in busses of teenagers on the way to camp. So you can find a hotel with much fewer young people making noise and being a nuisance when you are trying to focus on business.

The more authentic information about business travel tips you know, the more likely people are to consider you a business travel tips expert. Read on for even more business travel tips facts that you can share.

In addition to using businesses that cater to the business traveler, take advantage of frequent flyer and priority clubs that many airlines and hotels offer. If you are going to travel a lot, you can rack up some credits on those clubs, which can result in upgrades to first class, better accommodations or free services when you stay at your selected hotels. They win because they capture your travel dollar. You win because you get pampered for a while.

You can gain a lot of convenience and reduce your hassles by using a less popular airport to come into town. By utilizing an airport in a smaller town near by and renting a car, you get out of the congestion of traffic and can drive to your destination without that exposure to the masses all pushing and shoving to get through the major hubs.

Extra copies of travel documents can speed things up a lot especially if you are leaving the country. Often when you are going through customs, you must surrender your passport so the customs agent can make a copy. So you make a copy before you get there and give it to them. With a quick scan, they can confirm that it is a legitimate copy and have you on your way much quicker.

Don’t overlook how public transportation can bail you out of dealing with a lot of traffic in large city situations. In Washington or New York, the subways work exceptionally well. If you can get out of the airport area via mass transit, you can find a rental car location in town and conduct your business with less wait and without the traffic jams you would face at the airport. Plus airport rental car sites are more expensive than those in town.

These little tips can go a long way toward making your trip less of a hassle, less expensive and more successful. By knowing how to get around the big crowds and use the resources made available to business travelers, your trip will be more efficient, more relaxed and more successful.

You can’t predict when knowing something extra about business travel tips will come in handy. If you learned anything new in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.



By: Jawahn R Thompson

About the Author:

For more business travel tips, visit daily air travel.



Tour operators : add online sales to your website

Posted December 25, 2009 * Comments(0)

adventureengine asked:


A short video showing how an automated system can link office sales to tour operators websites and their agents sites in one easy application

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