Travel

If you travel to Southeast Asia, you may have difficulty pinpointing a destination. After all, this part of the world is home to some culturally and historically interesting countries. However, if you want to relax on your trip, Laos offers the best accommodations for your specific needs.

When you arrive in Laos, you immediately notice that no one is really in a rush. Whilst the country is home to lush vegetation and fertile soils, many locals are happy to harvest rice crops once a year.

The Ideal Destination for Foodies

Plus, guests who arrive in the country surprisingly discover that the food is fresh and flavourful. Nothing is processed. So, instead of bakery goods or chips, foods represent delights such as veggies, sticky rice, steamed fish, and crunchy greens.

An Unforgettable Experience

If you choose to take a tour in the country, you are regularly rewarded with amazing, if not mind-altering, sunsets. Whether you are visiting the Mekong delta region or are viewing the sunset from a rooftop pub, the lack of pollution makes the day’s ending an unforgettable experience.

Kuang Si Falls

Laos travel specialists claim that Laos has a high annual rainfall. As a result, the mountainous terrain and extensive river system also feature several impressive cascades. One of the popular falls is the Kuang Si Falls, which is located just outside Luang Prabang.

Besides the cascades, you can also discover the city’s rustic and beautiful scenery in the form of rice fields, woods, jungles, and hillsides. You really cannot go anywhere without seeing the colour green.

The Hmong Story Cloths

If you are seeking authentic handcrafts, Laos is the ideal spot to make your selections. Whilst much of Southeast Asia’s embroidery is factory-made for visitors, Laos features handicrafts made by local artisans. For example, the Hmong Story Cloths are favourite hand-made crafts, as they are designed to relate myths, folktales, and creation stories.

A Communist Country

Whilst the main religion in Laos is Buddhism, its government is Communist. In fact, Laos is one of only five Communist countries in the world today. The other countries include Vietnam, China, Cuba, and North Korea.

Everyone Wins

Tourists who visit Laos notice the country’s commitment towards providing ecotourism travel. In fact, many communities in Laos feature tourism-based initiatives to support the country’s economy. Therefore, everyone wins when countries concentrate on providing eco-friendly accommodation, tours, and attractions.

A few of the most popular tours available for travellers include the following:

• Phongsaly Loop
• Vang Vieng Escape
• Luang Prabang Trekking Retreat

Something for Everyone

If you plan to visit Southeast Asia but are not sure where to begin or end your journey, you should review the available tours in Laos. Tours are designed for both families and singles, as well as every age groups. There is something for everyone who visits this fascinating country. Therefore, when deciding on a tour, review the travel styles and consider your length of stay and budget before making a decision.

Traveling is a well-sought pastime by business people, families, couples, and singles.  However, the modern-day road warrior is much more equipped than those taking adventures in the past.  Imagine having to travel decades ago with no handheld devices, smartphones, and no apps!  Today, seasoned travelers use a range of apps from the Android store to accommodate the need to find gas, alternate routes, restaurants, etc.

Gas Buddy

At home, you have your regular routes and likely know the best price in town for gas.  But when you’re traveling or on vacation, it’s unclear as to where to go to find the best prices for gas…until now.  Gas Buddy takes your location into consideration and then provides you with intelligence regarding stations with the best prices.  If you’re an advocate of a type of gas or a particular company, then you can further narrow your search.

Booking

The Booking.com site offers an app so customers can compare hotel room prices.  The map option is especially convenient since travelers can get a better idea as to whether a certain accommodation is out of their way or close to other points on their travel itinerary.  Also, it’s a great backup to have if prior reservations fall through or you’re not pleased with the state of a particular hotel.

7 Minute Workout

We all want to be healthy and look great, but not all of us dedicate the time toward the effort.  It’s especially easy to make excuses when one is traveling, but not if you have the 7 Minute Workout app, your workout partner to help burn calories, build muscle, and accelerate your cardiovascular system.  Who doesn’t have seven minutes to dedicate toward a healthier lifestyle?

Podcast Addict

The number of published podcasts is growing along with the interest of listeners.  It takes a lot of time to peruse through the web and read a bunch of blogs.  However, you can get educated on a range of topics while sitting in your car, cleaning the home, or working at your desk.  Podcast Addict lets you search, download, and listen to podcasts.  Are you searching for something new?  The app features a trending function that will continuously introduce you to fresh content.

Camera 360

Who goes on vacation or an irregular place and doesn’t take pictures to catalog the experience?  The Camera 360 app has over 200 filters to make your pictures look perfect and unique.  Of course, we’re living in the age of social media.  Once you’ve modified your photo to your liking, you can upload and share on your favorite social channels.  Will the weather influence the places you go to take pictures?  There’s an app for that.  Get it on Google Play.

VLC

Well, why would you be satisfied with still frame pictures when you can capture live video footage of your vacation or time on the road?  The VLC app has a load of video formats and adjustable settings.  Furthermore, the app works to accelerate your phone’s hardware so you’ll get the best video capture performance from your smartphone.  If you’re a hardcore videographer you can probably find better apps, yet VLC provides more than satisfactory service.

Patrick Griffiths loves travel and outdoor adventure sports. A bit of a free spirit at heart, he writes about places, sports/events and his top travel tips.

If you’re like me, you live to travel. I’ve trekked across the United States, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. However, while I love Seattle, I’ve never had the pleasure of stepping foot in Hong Kong. Hopefully, someday soon, I can change that.

Let’s say I had the money to make that trip happen. How would I get from Asia to the Pacific Northwest? How much would it cost? How long are the flights? Are there similarities between the two cities? Differences?

Hong Kong sits on the Southeastern corner of China and is known for its strategically located harbor, which has attracted people from around the World for centuries. It’s a hub of trade, entertainment, and once served as one of the most important colonies of the British Empire. Now an autonomous territory, Hong Kong plays a strategic role in international relations, particularly between Asia and the Western World.

Seattle is located on the Puget Sound, within the State of Washington. Like Hong Kong, it’s famous for fresh seafood, unique dining options, and fine hotels. Seattle is also home to wine, fish markets, professional sport franchises, music, and art.

The typical flight from Hong Kong to Seattle lasts a little more than 12 hours. Yea, almost half a day of flying. What about cost? Well, that depends on the airline and the time of year in which you travel. As I write this article, most airlines appear to offer flights from $500 to $1000, round-trip. Obviously, if you want to fly in business or first class, these prices could double; however, it’s helpful to know that it won’t break the bank to travel from Hong Kong to Seattle.

So, what should one expect when they land in Seattle? Both cities are known for fresh seafood, quality restaurants, and entertainment, but what separates them? How are they different? One major difference: the weather. Seattle is known for rain. It’s not unusual for it to rain 3, 4, 5 times a week, sometimes more. In Hong Kong, however, rain is less frequent. Hong Kong is also generally warmer. If you’re traveling from Hong Kong, you might want to pack an umbrella and some warmer clothes. In Seattle, regardless of the time of year, you need to be prepared for rain. You also need to realize that you may not see the sun as often. Most days, Seattle is overcast, and certain weeks, the sun barely makes an appearance. It may not seem significant, but you would be surprised how a lack of sunlight can affect even the most optimistic of people.

1. We’ve talked about the two cities. We discussed the similarities, differences, costs, and travel tips. Now, all that’s left is to book your trip from Hong Kong to Seattle. I’m already looking at flights. I invite you to do the same.

I live in the Midwest, and in the summer, my family and I love to go to the lake. My daughter can’t wait to put her feet in the sand, and she will swim for hours. While she enjoys the beach, her and our favorite past-time is taking the boat out.

Years ago, my parents bought a speed boat. It’s nice; we can ski, fish, tube, and stop by our favorite shore-side restaurant. Recently, as our family has grown in size, it’s been more and more difficult to get everyone on the boat. We’ve been forced to take turns, which everyone agrees isn’t nearly as fun. My parents decided to make a change and looked into pontoon boats.

At first, my brothers, wife, and I weren’t excited to trade in our sporty, sleak speed boat, for a giant, comparatively slow pontoon. However, after we took the pontoon out on the lake, we fell in love. All of us, our entire family, our dogs, and even our neighbors, can fit comfortably. The pontoon has enough power to pull my daughter on skis, and is large enough to allow us parents to anchor the boat and have a drink while our kids jump off the side of the pontoon.

Before my parents bought their pontoon, they voiced an interest in luxury performance boats. They, like us, thought the most luxurious, modern boats would be smaller, sporty, and not a pontoon boat. We were wrong. After browsing the selection of boats, we found that some of the most durable, modern looking boats were the pontoons. Many are equipped with modern, top-of-the line stereo systems, navigation, depth finders, and large, sturdy tables and chairs where families like us can have a meal together.

Besides the beautiful design and spacious layouts of the pontoons, we were also pleasantly surprised that we wouldn’t have to give-up power. The sales team showed us pontoons with the best engines in the business. Unlike pontoons of the past, which were known for being clunky, these modern boats were fast, and able to both hold a large number of people and tow a skier, depending on the circumstances.

So, if you’re in the market for a new boat, take a look at a pontoon. You may be hesitant, like we were. You may think they’re out of your price range; they’re not. There are many affordable options. You may not believe that they’re the right boat for you, but, please, at least give them a try. Who knows, you may, like us, be very surprised and pleased with what you find. Pontoons can be just as luxurious, just as fun, as any other boat on the market. Take it out on the water and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

This is it. You’re all ready to take that vacation you’ve always dreamed of taking. Everything is in order. You’ve packed your bags, made arrangements for your plants and pets, ordered the tickets, booked the hotel—and it’s just as you’re pulling into the airport parking lot that you realise you haven’t yet accounted for the time it takes to park your car. Sure, it may seem simple enough, but anyone who’s ever driven for minutes on end through the long winding corridors of an airport parking garage knows that finding a parking spot can feel like a trip unto itself—and not in a good way!

All of this can be avoided, however, by looking into cheap airport parking in Melbourne. Here are just a few things such a service can do to help get you out of your car and on your journey as quickly as possible.

Parking Services

As stated, one of the trickiest elements of the travel experience, which takes most first-time travellers by surprise, is just how hard it can be to find a parking spot in an airport garage. You don’t want to find this out the hard way, namely when your plane leaves in less than an hour and you still have to go through terminals, airport security, and everything else before boarding your plane. Do away with all that unnecessary hassle by hiring an affordable airport parking service to take your car and act as first-class valets, parking your vehicle while you head towards your terminal.

Airport Transportation

Wherever your destination might be, one thing is for sure—by the time you get there, chances are good you’ll be tired and in no mood to drive yourself to the hotel or wherever else you wish to go. That’s why the best airport parking services also offer airport pickup services as well. Either prearrange the time your flight comes in, along with where you’d like to go or contact a driver once you arrive, and be picked up by a driver and taken to your destination in no time. Ours is an age of increasing luxury and convenience, making this an absolute must for anyone looking for first-class treatment throughout their travels.

Car Services

While you are away on a trip, your car is just sitting there in a parking lot somewhere. On the one hand, it’s good that it’s safe and sound. On the other hand, this is the perfect opportunity to have your car serviced without inconveniencing yourself. No one likes having to wait on their car while it’s having maintenance done, making this a perfect opportunity to have your vehicle serviced without interrupting your busy schedule. Staff can perform a variety of different functions to help give your car a tune up, and ensure it’s as good as new by the time you arrive back from your trip.

Enjoy the finer side of travel, from beginning to end, with a fantastic airport parking service in Melbourne today.

You have always wanted to travel to Africa. However, you need to find the right holiday travel policy to cover you on your trip. Whilst most travel insurance policies feature repatriation and emergency medical cover, they do not extend the protection to a pre-existing medical condition. However, you do need the cover, as you need to make sure that you are covered should you become ill on your trip. If you’re unsure there are ways to check if your condition qualifies as ‘pre-existing’.

Take a Medical Screening First

A pre-existing condition, just like it sounds, is a condition that existed before you decided to take out an insurance policy. If you do choose to take out cover for a pre-existing condition then, you need to go through a process known as a medical screening. The screening calls for answering several questions about your current health.

Insurance companies want to find out more about what you take in prescribed medications, and about any conditions that are related to heart, circulatory, or respiratory problems, or cancer or a prior stroke. Even if any of the aforementioned conditions are not affecting you currently, you need to report them. Otherwise, the policy you take out could be invalidated. Therefore, you need to be straightforward and honest about your past and current health.

Where Are You Planning to Travel?

The rate you are charged for regular holiday insurance is based on your age, the travel destination, and the length of time you plan to travel. The costs related to covering a pre-existing condition will be calculated in answer to the responses you give during your medical screening. Where you plan to travel greatly affects the overall cost too.

When You May Need to Change Your Travel Plans

For example, countries such as Spain and Greece use privatised healthcare to treat patients. Therefore, travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions tends to cost more than in other places in Europe. Also, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) cannot be used in hospitals that are privatised, all of which makes cover almost mandatory. If you have been denied cover for a pre-existing medical condition for Spain or Greece, you may want to change your travel plans.

Other Places Where Travel Insurance Costs Are High

If you plan to travel to Hong Kong, China, the Caribbean, Canada, or the US, you need to obtain insurance quotes before booking travel. That is the best way to avoid any disappointments. In particular, the US charges a large amount for healthcare. Whilst the Caribbean features lower costs in healthcare, there still is a good chance that you will be transported to the US for care.

Be Careful about Stopovers

Both China and Hong Kong are destinations where it is easier to get accepted for cover. However, if you plan to travel to Australia, beware! If you stop at any of the higher-rated locations, it could increase the cost of your premium. However, if you make stopovers in Singapore or Dubai, the premium cost can go down.

Why Buying Travel Health Care Is Important

That is why you need to carefully compare travel insurance for medical conditions online. Fortunately, a reciprocal healthcare agreement has been established between the UK and Australia. This agreement entitles British citizens, who are travelling on a UK passport, to receive subsidised medical care from Medicare Australia. However, you cannot receive emergency care or treatment for a pre-existing condition. That is why you need to have adequate insurance cover in place if you are travelling to this country.

Happily, travel insurance quotes for Australia are more reasonable than many places in the world. You can also receive acceptance much easier for a pre-existing medical condition. However, as noted before, in order to keep costs down, you have to avoid certain stopovers.

Travel Insurance Costs Are Lower in the UK and Europe

You will experience the lowest costs for travel insurance in the UK and Europe. The costs get higher if you choose to travel beyond the European continent. Both UK and European travel destinations generate lower travel insurance rates than other parts of the world.

If you have the place in mind where you want to travel and have decided to purchase cover, then you will next need to know more about the medical screening process. As indicated, a medical screening is made up of a series of basic and multiple type questions – enquiries that are designed to determine the severity of your condition. Whilst some of the questions may seem rather personal, the answers you supply are completely confidential.

Declare Your Medical Conditions to Ensure Cover

You should answer the questions as precisely and as accurately as you can so your condition is properly covered. Depending on your pre-existing condition, you normally are asked about the kinds of medications you take, whether you have been admitted to hospital, and when you were initially diagnosed. Whilst many pre-existing medical conditions can be covered for no additional charge, it is still important to declare them.

Any cost that is added is based on the risk that you may need medical treatment whilst you are on holiday, or may need to cancel your holiday because you feel sick. If your current condition is considered severe or unstable, you will have to pay more for your travel insurance plan.

An Important Point to Keep in Mind

When taking a medical screening, it is best to use a platform that offers quotes from various insurance companies. That way, you only have to answer the questions for the screening once. You do not have to go to several websites to answer personal questions about your health. When you get ready to buy medical travel insurance for a pre-existing condition then, this is an important point to keep in mind.

Insurers who are unable to assess the risk of an undiagnosed medical condition usually decline cover until a diagnosis is confirmed. Diagnosed conditions under investigation or a condition where surgery is pending can also be reasons to deny cover.

So, you can still make travel plans if you have a health condition. Just make sure you are honest and truthful about your health so you can make the most of the cover you buy.

The first thing a weary traveler looks forward to after getting off the road is pulling back the hotel sheets and climbing into a comfortable bed. While a well-made bed looks effortless, the truth is that much care goes into the process of selecting the linens, caring for the materials and making the mattress up properly. Unfortunately, poor quality sheets can ruin all of your hard work when they are thin or prone to staining. Flimsy sheets also need frequent replacement, which cuts into your bottom line. When your hotel staff is fed up with making up beds that never truly reflect your hotel’s high standards for hospitality, look for these factors that will help you replace your raggedy sheets with ones that are high quality.

Check The Thread Count

Low thread count sheets tend to be thinner, which is fine for hotels in warmer locations that need lightweight, crisp sheets that fit within a tighter budget. However, sheets with thread counts below 200 tend to accumulate more wear and tear. For mid-range hotels, a thread count of 400 is your most budget-friendly option that still gives your guests a smooth surface on which to rest their heads. Luxury hotels that truly want to pamper their guests should select sheets with a thread count over 800. Since most people don’t use sheets of this quality at home, these high thread count sheets really generate that sought after vacation feeling.

Choose the Right Fabric

Traditional cotton sheets are similar to what most people use at home, and they are known for being fairly simple to care for. Yet, there are other options for upgrading your hotel sheets. For example, percale is a plain weave fabric that is commonly found in high thread count varieties of sheets. It has a soft, silky feel but is also able to stand up to multiple washings. Sateen is another type of fabric that is softer than percale. Since it resembles silk, it offers a more hotel-friendly way to treat your guests to a luxurious night’s sleep.

Select Low-Maintenance Sheets

The hospitality industry does a lot of laundry, and your guests always appreciate a fresh set of sheets after a long day. While your sheets may take a beating with frequent washing and drying, you can extend that crisp hotel feeling by choosing sheets that are wrinkle-resistant. Typically, these types of sheets will still require some ironing. However, they reduce pressing time while also ensuring that your guests wake up to sheets that still feel perfectly crisp.

A cozy bed is one of your biggest assets in the competitive field of hospitality. By choosing the best sheets, you can cut your replacement costs while also improving the overall experience for each guests who visits your hotel. In fact, you may just discover that your guests love the sheets so much that they request a set of their own.

There’s a reason nobody is buying timeshares in 2017. In fact, there is a long list of them. Here are just five, which also double as reasons to consider exiting yours.

1. Free Yourself the Financial Burden of Annual Fees

Annual fees are one of the most cited reasons why timeshare owners decide to get rid. In summary, annual fees refer to the sum of money almost all timeshare owners are (as part of their timeshare agreement or contract) legally obliged to pay every single year towards supposedly maintaining their timeshare property, and in some cases the communal areas surrounding it and / or the resort on which it resides.

Whilst annual fees might seem a reasonable thing, the actual amounts of money timeshare owners are charged can rise rapidly over the years and is often in the hundreds if not thousands to begin with. Hence, many people who buy into timeshares could save themselves a great deal of money by simply exiting their timeshare and buying a holiday each year.

2. Stop Having to Take the Same Holiday Every Year

Speaking of buying holidays, there has been no better time to do so than right now. The internet has made finding and bagging bargain holidays (from month long backpacking adventures to two week all inclusive luxury retreats) a cinch, and an affordable one.

To see for yourself the wealth of choice out there visit the likes of the Thompson Travel Agency website. Meanwhile, to discover more alternative means of holidaying give the My Favourite Holiday website article: 3 Alternatives To Buying A Timeshare For A Great Holiday a read.

3. Accept that Timeshares are Not a Financial Investment

For something to be describable as a potential investment it has to offer at least some potential financial return. As reiterated and explained in more depth via the Timeshare Consumer Association website and specifically in their article: Timeshare is Not a Financial Investment, timeshares offer no potential financial return what-so-ever.

Despite being commonly referred to as ‘timeshare investments and their owners as ‘timeshare investors’, timesharing does not even offer enough potential of any return to be referred to as a ‘bad investment’. Suffice to say, you are more likely to make a profit in the bookmakers than you are by buying or owning a timeshare.

What is more, you may even lose less in the bookies as timeshare do not only offer no potential return, worse yet, timeshare actually depreciate in value over the years. Hence, it might be time to really cut your losses, especially when doing so cold mean affording to better invest or even just better enjoy your money from then on.

4. Stop Being the Target of Scammers

Timesharing is synonymous with scams and scammers, and not without reason. The speed with which timesharing grew into an industry made it all too easy for scammers to also jump on the bandwagon. Scams and cons relating to timesharing became so rife in fact that mistrust in the industry is today one of the main reasons why people are no longer prepared to buy timeshares, despite the fact they sell for cheaper now than ever before.

It is important for timeshare owners to realise though that already owning a timeshare does not mean that scammers will leave you alone. The opposite in actual fact is true. Due now to the amount of people wanting rid of their timeshare, scammers are just as if not more likely to target those desperate to sell as those eager to buy – not least because currently there are an estimate 400 people desperate to be rid for every 1 person desiring to buy.

Hence, whilst this is a reason to be rid of a timeshare, it matters to make sure you do it properly – or else you could lose more than you stand to save. Fortunately the Citizens’ Advice website has all the information you need, as well as providing drop in sessions across the UK for those who feel they need to seek individual advice.

5. If You No Longer Use Your Timeshare

If you own a holiday home and do not use it year on year, it is likely that you will none the less be glad to own it. Meanwhile, because owning a timeshare rarely involves ever actually owning property, those who own one and do not use theirs stand to lose a lot of money annually. What is more, as discussed above timeshares unlike property depreciate in value over time meaning that simply owning one is in no way providing yourself or your family with anything to ‘fall back on’.

Hence, if you own but no longer use a timeshare, it is surely time to exit it. To learn how, continue your reading over at The Independent website by reading their feature: Safe escapes from the timeshare snare.