Mini Travel Guides

I was recently looking at a few blogs on travel, and thought I should recommend a couple I am very impressed with -

www.40plustraveler.com

www.travelandbepaidforit.com

Finding a general travel tip does not have to be difficult, as long as you know where the right places are to look. There are a few different resources that are available to you and which you can really take advantage of when it comes to the planning of your trip, and even the smallest vacation travel tip is going to be to your advantage.

Now if you are looking to find a general travel tip, one of the best places to start is on the Internet. When you look online you can pretty much find everything imaginable. The Internet is an amazing resource, one that you should take advantage of when you are looking for a general travel tip.

Tips

When it comes to a general travel tip, one of the best is to double check your list. You want to make sure that you have a list and then mark everything off the list as you pack. This is important so that you can make sure that you have everything that you need and make sure that you are not going to forget anything.

This is important because the worst thing that could happen is for you to get all the way to your destination only to realize that you have left something at home. You also want to make sure that you choose the right destination to travel to, and this is probably the most difficult step of all.

Planning your accommodations is also going to be important on your travels. The Internet is a great resource to use here, and you want to do some comparisons between different hotels and other lodgings in order to choose the one that is going to be right for you. There are lots of different options out there, and you just want to make sure that you are going to get all the amenities that you need.

You are also going to need to be aware of the details, so for instance if you have pets that you are bringing along you need to make sure that your accommodations allow for pets to stay with them. As you can see, finding a general travel tip is never hard to find, and with the resources mentioned here you can do it very easily. If you want even more help, talk to a travel agent, who is a professional in this area and who is going to be able to offer you all the information that you want.

Tags: Looking, Travel, Travel Tips

Travel tips to Budapest as Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest,  becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Magyars arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42.

The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 , the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. its extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world’s largest thermal water cave system,  second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.

Considered an important hub in Central Europe, the city ranked 3rd (out of 65 cities) on Mastercard’s Emerging Markets Index (2008), and ranked as the most livable Central/Eastern European city on EIU’s quality of life index (both 2009 & 2010). It is also ranked as “Europe’s 7th most idyllic place to live” by Forbes. It attracts over 20 million visitors a year. The headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)and the first foreign office of the CIPA will be in Budapest.

History and culture of Hungary

The first settlement on the territory of Budapest was built by Celts before 1 AD. It was later occupied by the Romans. The Roman settlement – Aquincum – became the main city of Lower Pannonia in 106 AD.The Romans constructed roads, amphitheaters, baths and houses with heated floors in this fortified military camp.

The peace treaty of 829 added Pannonia to Bulgaria due to the victory of Bulgarian army of Omurtag over Holy Roman Empire of Louis the Pious. Budapest arose out of two Bulgarian military frontier fortresses Buda and Pest, situated on the two banks of Danube. Hungarians led by Árpád settled in the territory at the end of the 9th century, and a century later officially founded the Kingdom of Hungary. Research places the probable residence of the Árpáds as an early place of central power near what became Budapest. The Tatar invasion in the 13th century quickly proved that defence is difficult on a plain. King Béla IV of Hungary therefore ordered the construction of reinforced stone walls around the towns and set his own royal palace on the top of the protecting hills of Buda. In 1361 it became the capital of Hungary.

The cultural role of Buda was particularly significant during the reign of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The Italian Renaissance had a great influence on the city. His library, the Bibliotheca Corviniana, was Europe’s greatest collection of historical chronicles and philosophic and scientific works in the 15th century, and second only in size to the Vatican Library. After the foundation of the first Hungarian university in Pécs in 1367 the second one was established in Óbuda in 1395.  The first Hungarian book was printed in Buda in 1473.

The Ottomans pillaged Buda in 1526, besieged it in 1529, and finally occupied it in 1541. The Turkish occupation lasted for more than 140 years. The Turks constructed some fine bathing facilities here. The unoccupied western part of the country became part of the Habsburg Empire as Royal Hungary.

In 1686, two years after the unsuccessful siege of Buda, a renewed campaign was started to enter the Hungarian capital. This time, the Holy League’s army was twice as large, containing over 74,000 men, including German, Croat, Dutch, Hungarian, English, Spanish, Czech, Italian, French, Burgundian, Danish and Swedish soldiers, along with other Europeans as volunteers, artilleryman, and officers, the Christian forces reconquered Buda, and in the next few years, all of the former Hungarian lands, except areas near Timişoara (Temesvár), were taken from the Turks. In the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz these territorial changes were officially recognized, and in 1718 the entire Kingdom of Hungary was removed from Ottoman rule.

The city was destroyed during the battle. Hungary was then incorporated into the Habsburg Empire.

The nineteenth century was dominated by the Hungarians’ struggle for independence  and modernization. The national insurrection against the Habsburgs began in the Hungarian capital in 1848 and was defeated a little more than a year later.

1867 was the year of Reconciliation that brought about the birth of Austria-Hungary.

This made Budapest the twin capital of a dual monarchy. It was this compromise which opened the second great phase of development in the history of Budapest, lasting until World War I. In 1873 Buda and Pest were officially merged with the third part, Óbuda (Ancient Buda), thus creating the new metropolis of Budapest. The dynamic Pest grew into the country’s administrative, political, economic, trade and cultural hub. Budapest went from about 80% German-speaking in 1848 to about 80% Hungarian-speaking in 1880. World War I brought the Golden Age to an end. In 1918 Austria-Hungary lost the war and collapsed; Hungary declared itself an independent republic. In 1920 the Treaty of Trianon finalized the country’s partition, as a result, Hungary lost over two-thirds of its territory, about two-thirds of its inhabitants under the treaty including 3.3 million out of 10 million ethnic Hungarians.

In 1944, towards the end of World War II, Budapest was partly destroyed by British and American air raids. From 24 December 1944 to 13 February 1945, the city was besieged during the Battle of Budapest. Budapest suffered major damage caused by the attacking Soviet troops and the defending German and Hungarian troops. All bridges were destroyed by the Germans. More than 38,000 civilians lost their lives during the conflict.

Between 20% and 40% of Greater Budapest’s 250,000 Jewish inhabitants died through Nazi and Arrow Cross Party genocide during 1944 and early 1945. Despite this, modern day Budapest has the highest number of Jewish citizens per capita of any European city.

In 1949, Hungary was declared a communist People’s Republic. The new Communist government considered the buildings like the Buda Castle symbols of the former regime, and during the 1950s the palace was gutted and all the interiors were destroyed.

In 1956, peaceful demonstrations in Budapest led to the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution. The Leadership collapsed after mass demonstrations began on 23 October, but Soviet tanks entered Budapest to crush the revolt. Fighting continued until early November, leaving more than 3000 dead.

From the 1960s to the late 1980s Hungary was often satirically referred to as “the happiest barrack” within the Eastern bloc, and much of the wartime damage to the city was finally repaired. Work on Erzsébet Bridge, the last to be rebuilt, was finished in 1965. In the early 1970s, Budapest Metro’s East-West M2 line was first opened, followed by the M3 line in 1982. In 1987, Buda Castle and the banks of the Danube were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Andrassy Avenue (including the Millennium Underground Railway, Hősök tere and Városliget) was added to the UNESCO list in 2002. In the 1980s the city’s population reached 2.1 million. In recent times a significant decrease in habitants occurred mainly due to a massive movement to the neighbouring agglomeration in Pest county. In the last decades of the 20th century the political changes of 1989-90 concealed changes in civil society and along the streets of Budapest. The monuments of the dictatorship were taken down from public places, into Memento Park.

Tags: Budapet, Informations, Tips, Travel, Travel Tips

I was thinking recently about the Asian coutries I have travelled to, and thought about the cost differences in visiting these different countries. I thought I might just do a quick ranking of  relative positioning I found in the total visiting costs - accom, travel, food, drinks etc, for a “regular” tourist..

As follows, from Cheapest to Dearest

Vietnam

Nepal

India

Indonesia

Thailand

Malaysia

Brunei

Singapore

These are the Asian Countries I have visited, so I wont comment on others. Does anyone disagree or have comment to add?

Tags: travel budget

Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages

The streets directly surrounding the Ben Tranh Market make an interesting area to stay in Ho Chi Minh City, and fill a “middle ground” between the Pham Ngu Lao Backpacker area, and the more upmarket Dong Khoi Area that houses most of the 5 star options. The Ben Tranh area is predominantly small and mini hotels, up to a maximum of about 5 levels, and often with only a half a dozen rooms on each level.

The location of the Ben Tranh market is also ” middle ground”, usefully positioned centrally between the two main accommodation areas mentioned above, and close enough to both to be walked. The advantage then is that you can go to either of these areas to eat or drink, and easily get back home.

The other major advantage to the Ben Trahn area, is the Ben Tranh Market itself. The market offers a full and colourful array of goods during the day, housed within one of the oldest standing buildings in Saigon. Still about half local market, it carries a huge range of foods, including seafood, fruit, dried foods, spices, and most other things you can think of that have a strong odour, as well as textiles, home-wares, flowers and jewelery.

In the evening, the market closes, and the streets surrounding become a lively night market, with a hastily setup range of food stalls and retail “booths”. We found a good little bar, and watched the amazing transformation of Phan chu trinh, from a busy thoroughfare to a bustling market, at exactly 5.30pm. One minute traffic, then barriers go up, then people come from all directions with stalls and merchandise, then its a market! Wonderful bit of street theatre!

Tags: Vietnam

Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages

Ko Ngai is a tiny dot off the South Andaman Coast, about an hour by speedboat from Ko Lanta, itself about 2 hours south from Phuket. I’ve commented before on the island, the tranquility, and coral reef that runs off the beach. This, and the fact the main beach is east facing, towards the mainland, and sheltered from weather and swell from the open sea to the west, are just some of the factors that make this island idyllic.

But where can you stay if you go there?

There are 7 places on the island to stay as far as I saw, all by 2 of those quite upmarket ($100+ per night). I only saw two that were of a price within my budget (up to 1500 baht), and the better looking of those was Ko Ngai Seafood Bungalows.

The name is a little unusual, but speaking to the lovely lady who owns the establishment, she explained that the bungalows were a fairly new addition, to what previously had been the only, non-resort restaurant on the island.

She runs 9 bungalows in a crescent shaped layout facing the beach. Bungalow 9, that we stayed in, was the closest to the beach - about 5 meters away! They are simple bamboo bungalows, with cold water shower, and generator only power (operated night only). Fan cooled (when the power is on). They were basic, mattress with sheets, mosquito net over the bed, concrete floor, with a bamboo mat at the door. Definitely nothing too flash.

The value in this place, is the location. You can be in the water with 5 to 6 large strides! And it makes for an excellent little balcony to have a lukewarm beer and enjoy the sunset (real cold would be better, but not a reality). The place was not cheap at 1100 baht, but I would go back in a flash.

Tags: 2009 trip, thialand

Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages

I have recently been shopping around heavily, to find a great rate for a week in Phuket, Thailand. I have been to Patong Beach several times over the last few years and always wonder if I am getting a good deal! The Thais can be very convincing, so I pay, but then I am always left wondering….

Anyhow, I have tried walkup rates, as well as both shopfront and Internet travel agents. Todate, the best solution I have been able to find, has been a search and compare website -www.HotelsCombined.com“>HotelsCombined

This site search 40+ booking websites, to find the best deal! It included the big names, and some reputable local companies. I have used this website to book the Andaman Resort, and Laguna Beach Resort. Both times I ended up with a deal about 30% under elsewhere, and I was directed to a different booking engine each time! This demonstrates that they don’t appear to play commission favourites, it appears to really be about the best deal!

Good for Us!

Have a look- www.HotelsCombined.com“>Hotels Combined

Click Here to Get the Latest Low Cost Airline Information 

Tags: thialand

Having recently returned from a trip from Ho Chi Minh City, 3 days through the Mekong Delta, onto Phu Quoc Island, and then return to Siagon, I thought it necessary to comment on the service by TNK Travel.

We first came to notice the custom tours TNK could organise, through a google search and as a result, thier website. They offered an itinerary that looked like it would suit our requirements, and at a reasonable price, so we were interested. However, we were unable to research much else about TNK, as they didnt appear to have much feedback from sites such as Trip-Advisor. Reason being, they are a new tour company, and not having a lot of exposure yet.

I can confidently say to others considering thier services, that they are a genuine travel company, with an office in the Ngu Lao St area of Siagon. (216 De Tham St).

We found thier staff and vehicles to be excellent, and very much enjoyed our tour! I intend to post plenty more details soon.

Tags: Vietnam

I have recently returned from what will soon become another Asian Itinerary for the website, or a least part of one. Having done a trip through Vietnam, from Hanoi to Saigon previously, this was the little bit of the country, west from Ho Chi Minh city, that was needed to complete a full “Tour of Vietnam”.

A overview of this research trip is as follows-

Hotel in Ben Thanh Market area of Saigon, nice and central, but not awash with backpackers. 

3 day minibus trip through Mekong delta area, stopping overnight at Can Tho and Chau Doc

Mekong river explorer trips at My Tho, Can Tho floating markets and Chau Doc fish farms.

Ferry crossing to Phu Quoc Island from Rach Gia.

 Accommodation on Long Beach, Phu Quoc, with time to explore the town of Duong Dong, and more of this unspoilt island.

Keep you eye out for more details on all these areas, and the rest of the Vietnem Explorer Itinerary! All to follow!

Tags: Vietnam

Click Here to Get the Latest Low Cost Airline Information

Are you booked to fly Viva Macau? If so, we suggest immediate action to get your refund. Experience suggests, that now that the company has ceased operations and is shutting their offices, that handing over to a receiver or administrator is not far away. At that point, refunds will become a long, drawn out process! For refund action, we suggest you contact the following email address ASAP - refund@flyvivamacau.com

Below is the company’s latest official statement, regarding operations:

Viva Macau - Office Closure

April 06, 2010

As a direct result of the revocation of the Viva Macau Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) – a globally unprecedented event in international aviation – Viva Macau is now seeking legal advice for an orderly and responsible winding down of the business.

Viva Macau’s office is now closed. For any passenger inquiries, please contact the Macau Government Crisis Center at:

Tourism Crisis Management Office
Alameda Dr. Carlos
Edificio “Hot Line”, 14 andar, Macau
Telephone: +853 2872 3993
Fax: +853 2872 2726
Email: info@ggct.gov.mo
Web site: http://www.ggct.gov.mo/

Overseas:
Japan: +090 3220 5564
Jakarta: +62 21 8370 5913
Sydney: +61 2 8267 7212
Ho Chi Minh: +84 90 393 5134
Hanoi: +84 9133 20993

Tags: Viva macau