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The Best Travel Sites
The official Foreign Office site
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/menu-e.asp
Definitely the best resource in all categories because the
information is accurate and complete. One small drawback:
planning your trip will make you want to stay home!
Getting a good night: sleep at the airport http://www3.sympatico.ca/donna.mcsherry/airports.htm
An unexpected stop-over? Out of money? Fascinated by
airports? Always dreamed of being a stowaway? If for some
reason you have to spend the night at an airport, be sure
to check out this very useful site which ranks all airports
by level of comfort. It’s fun, to say the least.
"Traveling for less" does not necessarily
mean you'll pay less. Nor does
it mean you'll save money in case there's a problem. "Traveling better" means using proven tricks to keep you
"almost" fresh after flying 15 hours and that your family
trip to the U.S. with 3 children doesn't turn into a nightmare...
Better
flying
To keep you from feeling overly exhausted after a long flight:
- Don't wear new shoes,
shoes with laces or high heels. Instead, slip into an
old pair of loafers, as the drop in pressure in the cabin
will make your blood vessels dilate and your feet swell!
- Also
avoid tight jeans, belts and clothes with lots of buttons.
Instead, wear a roomy pair of pants, suspenders (they
have a certain charm) and a T-shirt.
- Finally,
don't forget a sweater, even if you're flying towards
a sunny destination, because air conditioning can be downright
cold!
You can pick your seat
on the plane well in advance by telephone. Choose a seat
in an emergency exit row if you have long legs, an aisle
seat if you can't sit still, or reserve seats in the same
row if you're travelling as a family or with a group of
friends.
Beware of excess baggage!
Some sports, such as scuba diving, require fairly heavy
equipment. And in economy class, you're only entitled to
20 kilos of luggage! So check with the airline before buying
your ticket. A lot of companies will accept the excess baggage
without making you pay the costly supplement.
Dealing with in-flight
stress
Afraid of flying? Do you suffer from jetlag? Or get sick easily?
Make sure your flight doesn't turn sour by visiting http://www.jetease.com/ which offers
a lot of useful tips (while trying to sell its products.)
Flying can leave you stressed
out for several days and is generally accompanied by a lack
of concentration and motivation. Air stress is particularly
common during business trips, when you need to perform a
number of activities that require special skills or effort
(driving, reading, negotiating, etc.). You can also experience
air travel stress on vacation, with even the easiest of
tasks becoming difficult as a result of fatigue.
Fly
cheaper
Make your reservations
early. A lot of special
fares require reservations made 1, 2 or 3 weeks and sometimes
even a month or more prior to departure.
Stay over a Saturday night
at your destination for an even lower fare.
If you're
traveling to the Antilles or the United States in July or
August, make your reservations a long time in advance.
Try not to travel on the
most popular days (such as the first and last days of school
holidays).
Security
- When
traveling abroad, never accept parcels from strangers.
They may contain drugs or explosives.
- Take
as few valuables and jewels as possible on vacation.
- Place
your valuables, documents, jewelry and cash in hotel safes.
- Never
leave valuables in plain view in parked cars.
- Avoid
parking in deserted parking lots (private and monitored
parking lots are much safer).
- Don't
deal with individuals in the street who offer their services
for free (in case of a car accident, for example).
- Decline
all drinks and food offered by strangers.
Health
and Vaccines
Ask your local health insurance
office as well as your insurance company whether medical expenditures
incurred abroad will be refunded. These costs can be extremely
high in certain countries.It is therefore highly recommended
that you take out health and repatriation
insurance for the country you are visiting. If
you are a European national traveling to one of the European
Union countries, take a copy of social security form number
E 111, available from your local health insurance office.
Check with your attending physician before traveling to a
country where malaria is prevalent or where endemic diseases
require special care or preventive treatments (for information
on recommended or compulsory vaccines, basic health rules,
etc.).
Cars
Check the rules of the local highway code.
If you are using a vehicle, make sure you have the following
documents:
- Registration
- International
insurance card (make sure it is valid for the country
you are visiting)
- International
driver's license (apply for one before leaving home)
- Customs
clearance card (issued exclusively by automobile clubs)
if required.
Animals
Make sure you take rabies vaccination and health certificates
with you (check the expiry dates). Please note that certain
countries bar animals and others require an import licence.
Customs
A number of countries do
not allow certain foodstuffs or devices to be imported,
such as cameras, transistor radios, tape recorders, video
recorders, etc. Be sure to look into this with the consulate
or tourist bureau of the country you are planning to visit.
Importing, exporting or
simply being in possession of counterfeit products is an
infringement of customs laws in France and many other countries,
and if caught you may be subject to fines and even imprisonment.
Dangerous Destinations
Countries you should
not visit (according to the Foreign Office):
Afghanistan, Albania, Serbian
Republic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Northern Caucasus: Dagestan,
Ingoushetia, Chechnya, North Ossetian Republic, Karachay-Cherkess,
The Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the regions of Piatigorsk
and Minvody (RUSSIA), Southern Caucasus: Abkhazia, South
Ossetian (Georgia), Ogaden, Afars (Ethiopia), Guinea-Bissau,
Jammu and Kashmir and Assam (India), Eastern Timor (Indonesia),
Macedonia, Southwestern, Western and Northern Uganda, Democratic
Republic of Congo (apart from Kinshasa and Lumumbashi),
Northern and Western Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Northern
and Eastern Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tibesti region (Tchad),
Southeastern region of Turkey, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Countries
you should only visit if really necessary (according to
the Foreign Office):
Algeria,
Angola, Burundi, Colombia, Central African Republic, Eritrea,
Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Karachi area (Pakistan) , Zambia
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