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It is always fun to travel to new places. Meeting new people, tasting unique delicacies, learning different cultures, and speaking foreign languages have always been exciting to do. However, among the thousands of destinations in the world, there will always be the best and worst places to visit.

National Geographic listed down the top 5 places in the world travelers should not miss to visit.  They were named the “Places of a Lifetime”:

1. BEIJING

Must Do: Shop at Panjiayuan Antique Market (aka Dirt Market), watch plays at Beijing Opera, view the skyline at the Temple of Heaven,

Must Visit: Great Wall at Simatai or Jinshanling, Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, Beijing Capital Museum, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Forbidden City (aka Imperial Palace Museum), Tiananmen Square

1. HONG KONG

Must Do: Horse racing, shop at street markets, ride the Star Ferry, participate in the Yum Cha festivities

Must Visit: The Peak, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Central-Mid-levels escalator, Hong Kong Tramways

1. LONDON

Must Do: Nightlife, watch plays at the National Theatre, food trip, shopping

Must Visit: The British Museum, The Gagosian, Hampstead Heath, The London Library, Sir John Soanes Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Victoria and Albert Museum, William Morris Gallery, Cabinet War Rooms

1. LOS ANGELES

Must Do: Celebrity helicopter tours, watch sunset and sunrise at the Sunset Boulevard and Sunset Strip, watch plays and performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall 

Must Visit: Hollywood, Beverly Hills, The Getty Center Los Angeles, Huntington Library, Malibu, Norton Simon Museum, Warner Bros. Studio Tour

1. NEW YORK

Must Do: Ride ferry to Governors Island, take the train to a Yankees Game, shopping, coffee, watch the Knicks’ games at Madison Square Garden

Must Visit: Empire State Building Observatory, Museum of Chinese in the Americas, Rubin Museum of Art, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, Paley Park

On the other hand, writers Rob Wood and Lee Ridley, listed down the places in the world that might be a bad idea to visit. Here are their top worst destinations for travel:

1. IRAQ

Why? Never-ending wars and terrorism!

1. SOMALIA

Why? Ongoing power struggle between warlords, lawless wasteland, rule of the gun

1. AFGHANISTAN

Why? Taliban-sponsored suicide bombs, unexploded ordnance, IEDs.

1. THAILAND

Why? Tsunami and other natural disasters, hostilities between the Islamic militants and the government

1. SUDAN

Why? Tensions between the rebel groups and the government, genocide, murders and rapes

First-time traveler? These tips should make your air travel and flight easier and more convenient.

DO…

• Travel light. Put only real essential items on your handbag, including wallet, plane ticket, cell phone, and medicines. Put other relevant stuffs on your carry-on luggage.
• As much as possible, wear light slip-on shoes – both easy for security and comfortable for you on the plane.
• For long air flights, bring your own blanket and travel pillow.
• Carry disposable wipes for cleaning your hands, although you can always ask for wet towels from flight attendants.
• Buckle up during take off, landing, and every time the seat belt sign is lighted.
• Turn off all electronic gadgets including cell phones, digital cameras, and camcorders, laptops, and mp3 players during take off and landing to avoid interferences.
• Listen attentively and follow in-flight instructions.
• Carry with you candies, chewing gum, and light snacks so that you can chew on something when you get hungry during the flight.

DON’T…

• Make jokes about bombs, hijackers, and plane crashes. Security will take this seriously and they would have to question you about the truth to those.
• Carry liquid (including perfume, hair gel, toothpaste, lotion, mouthwash, and the likes) with you on your handbag or carry-on luggage as you would have to surrender them all to security.
• Invade other travelers’ privacy. Unless they want to talk to you during the flight, respect what they are doing.
• Talk, laugh, or sing in a really loud voice.
• Use more overhead space than what you need.
• Leave your belongings unattended. Keep a watchful eye on your children, too.
• Recline your seat too far, unless you are in first class that you have enough space.
• Stand up and walk around the plane while the seat belt sign is lighted. Buckle up for safety.

As long as you abide by the rules of air tarvel, your flight will surely be as easy, memoreable, and peaceful as possible!

Enjoy your trip!

From MSNBC:

“FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines said Wednesday its customers will be able to dial up faster access to their flight information through a new telephone program.

Customers who register for the “Remember Me” program can call the airline from the cell phone they used to sign up to get a speedier path to information about their upcoming flight, the company said.

The service is based on a system called Tellme, owned by Microsoft Corp. “Remember Me” works by recognizing the caller’s phone number and retrieving information about that account, according to a Microsoft spokeswoman.

Other companies use the system for voice-directed bill-paying and other functions, according to the spokeswoman.

American executives said the new system would be faster than going through the current menu on the airline’s flight-information number.

AMR Corp. owns American Airlines.”

I think technological breakthroughs such as this would really speed up the process of knowing flight information and other important travel details. It would help a lot to travelers especially since flight schedules are just one call away, not to mention that if they have already registered before, they are put in the “priority list”.

Thumbs up for American Airlines and other airlines who ar already implementing this!

Looking for a Travel Agent?

Most people think that hiring a travel agent for their trip is costlier than traveling on their own. But truth is, cheap or discounted travels actually depend on proper travel planning. Whether you prefer traveling on your own or using the assistance of professionals, good planning is really a major factor in achieving a fun, enjoyable, not to mention inexpensive travel.

Here in the U.S., consumers and travelers spend billions of dollars every year when traveling to different parts of the world. When you don’t plan your trip well, you might end up spending so much more than needed.

If you are looking for a reliable travel agent, here are the factors you ought to consider:

Services provided: Choose a travel agent that offers a good deal of services including the following:

-          Arranging reservations for air, sea, and road travels, including cruises and car rentals;

-          Providing information on travel insurance, luggage, passports, visas, inoculations, traveler’s checks, weather, and currency exchange.

-          Arrangement for package tours or individual itineraries.

Knowledgeable: Choose a travel agent that is highly knowledgeable about local customs and attractions at popular destinations. It should be able to provide you with various options and keep your trip running smoothly.

Availability: Make sure that your travel agent is available 24/7 and is willing to listen and answer to your concerns.

Professionalism: Make that your travel agent and all its staff is professional and will provide you the best service that you deserve. You may want to learn about their professional background including the trainings they have attended to and education they have achieved.

Aloha!

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii to see the breathtaking beaches, taste the fresh piña coladas, and make friends with the pretty Hawaiian hula dancers!

Finally, I got the chance to travel to The Aloha State! However, I only got to visit the islands Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii (or what is also known as the Big Island). And like they say, I have to agree that “there’s really no place on earth like Hawaii!”

First, there are the very friendly Hawaiian natives. Although most of them speak using their mother tongue, they try their best to answer my queries and guide me with directions. It’s really fun learning their culture and knowing their beliefs. Although it was only a couple of days that I stayed with them, I felt really attached to them.

It’s funny though that there are a lot more foreigners than the natives in the islands. Some of the people I recognized there are of course White Americans, Asian (including Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, and Koreans), and Europeans (including German and Italian). The state was really spectacular that people from all over the world take time to visit.

There are just so many things to do in Hawaii that my long-week vacation was not enough. Not even close! Anyway, the activities that I enjoyed the most include the following:

Big Island: Dinner cruise at Captain Bean; volcano trail hike (Mauna Loa and Kilaue), and beach activities (including swimming, rafting, and snorkeling) among many others.

Maui: Food trip, “luaus”, and more beach activities!

Oahu: Visit Pearl Harbor, food trip, experience luau buffet, and a lot more beach activities!!

My Hawaiin vacation was really a blast! And I’m definitely gonna do it again!

Aloha for now!

A lot of my online friends are asking about the basics of travel insurance — if it’s really important to have one when traveling. That’s why I’ll try to explain here as clear as possible what everyone should know about it:

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance is an insurance that is designed to cover financial losses, medical expenses, and other cost incurred during travels, either in one’s own country or abroad.

What are usually covered by travel insurance?

Usually, travel insurance covers the following common risks:

- Cancellation of flight

- Curtailment or restriction of flight

- Delayed departure

- Damage, loss, or theft to money and personal belongings

- Emergency evacuation or repatriation

- Delayed baggage

- Emergency replacement of personal items

- Personal liability

- Medical expenses

- Legal assistance

- Accidental injury, death, and disablement benefit

- Overseas funeral expenses

When is the arrangement of travel insurance done?

Travel insurance is often arranged during the booking of a trip, covering the exact duration of the trip.

A more extensive, continuous travel insurance is also available. This covers the whole duration of the trip, plus a few days, weeks, or months more. It can usually be purchased from travel insurance companies, travel agents, or travel suppliers like tour operators or cruise lines.

What travel types can be insured?

Travel insurance offers various coverage, including business travel, student travel, leisure travel, cruise travel, adventure travel, and international travel to name a few.

What else do you need to know about travel insurance?

Often separate travel insurance is available for specific activities with additional cost. This includes insurance for:

- high-risk sports such as scuba-diving, skiing, parasailing, and the likes

- trip to high-risk countries due to wars, terrorism, or natural disasters

- serious medical conditions

Travel insurance also offers helpful services such as emergency travel assistance and concierge services, often 24/7.

I have been traveling for almost 10 years now – for business, family affairs, leisure, and entertainment. And every time I travel, I get to learn something new, from as petty as the importance of chewing gum while inside the plane to as serious as the proper safety procedures when jumping down an unstable aircraft.

But, I don’t wanna bore you with those kinds of stuffs. What I will share is something I know you would all like to know – getting a cheap or discounted air flight! Here are some things you may want to consider in getting the best deals when traveling:

1.   Be flexible when planning your trip to get the lowest fare available! Most of the time, the best deals are set on certain days of the week, usually Tuesday through Thursday, or certain hours of the day, like late at night or very early in the morning. Prepare to take these flights if you want to get discounted fares.

2.   Discount seats are usually unavailable during holiday periods. Most likely, however, you might get a cheap fare if you travel on the holiday itself, i.e. on Thanksgiving Day or New Year’s day.

3.   Plan ahead. Most airlines provide a couple of seats at lower rates on many desirable flights. The real best bargains, however, usually sell out immediately. For some flights, on the other hand, that are not selling well, there are usually more discount seats available. Make sure to inquire about these seats from air carriers or read about flight promos on the Internet.

4.   In large metropolitan areas, the fare sometimes depends on which airport you take. Moreover, connecting flights (or those that require change of planes) are usually cheaper than direct flights. It is best to regularly check on alternate airports or routings when booking a flight.

5.   Many airlines provide a senior-citizen discount to travelers over a certain age. In addition, other carriers offer emergency illness fares with great discounts.

Traveling should not be expensive. It should give you enjoyment and relaxation rather than leave you worrying about how much money to bring.

It’s quite ironic though that during my childhood, I really hated to fly and travel to different places. My dad even wanted me to be a pilot. He bought me these cool airplane and jet plane toys to encourage me to love flying, but it never really worked. Sorry, Dad! Anyway, I told my dad then that I wanted to be a lawyer or an engineer or just anybody who doesn’t get to travel a lot or who wouldn’t travel at all.

My reason? I was really afraid of heights, so nobody was able to convince me to ride in an airplane then. But then there are sea cruises and road trips, right? With ships and ferries, I used to get seasick easily. Most of the time, I would puke on the water because I really can’t stand the movement of the boat. So, if we had to travel then, we’d only travel by land. I can still remember how my dad used to get mad at me because instead of traveling for only an hour or so, he’d be driving for several hours or even days! Could you imagine that? I haven’t gone out of the United States until I was 25!

Quite embarrassing, but that’s how my life used to be. Lol.

Anyway, not until I had to visit my sick grandmother in Europe that I had to face my fear in flying. At first, I was really hesitant. I asked my Dad if I can just stay and if they can go without me. He said that my grandma requested for all of us to be there. So I had no choice but to come along.

It was not the best experience for me, but I kinda had a great time during the trip. I thought since I really had to travel, then might as well make the most out of it, especially since I might be doing that for the first and last time in my life. I never thought back then that it would totally change my mind about traveling. I got to visit many exciting places, meet different people, and experience quite a different culture. Plus, not to mention the food! Man, they’re simply the best. From then on, I convinced myself, Hey! There’s actually no harm in traveling! That’s why here I am…once a trip hater, but now a keen traveler.

Anyway, I had to start this blog because I want to share to you my exciting, sometimes frustrating, experiences with traveling to different parts of the world. Yes, I’ve traveled to several different states, countries, and islands now, despite the fact that I never once dreamed of leaving my home town. Please feel free to browse my site as I would be posting pictures of the places I’ve visited and blogging about every small detail of my experiences as a keen traveler!

Enjoy!